Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Cape Coral, FL – The SUNY Oneonta softball team improved to 5-3 overall after splitting today's games at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, falling in an eight-inning thriller to Curry College 2-1 and defeating Nichols College 5-1.
 
Junior pitcher Rachel Hitt (Boonville/Adirondack Central) was red hot on the mound today as she struck out twelve batters and allowed two hits and one earned run. The run came in the seventh inning to break up a no-hitter as Hitt earned her third win of the season against the Bison Pride of Nichols.
 
Oneonta began the game by scoring two runs in the top of the first. Jamie Whittam (Saugerties/Saugerties) started the inning by reaching base on an error by the third baseman. Jennifer Brocco (Kingston/Kingston) and Traci Lichtenstein (Plainview/JFK) would move the runner with back-to-back singles before Brianna Rivera (Pomona/North Rockland) singled to the shortstop, bring Whittam home. Brocco would cross the plate on the next batter as Nicole Marzillo (Bay Shore/Bay Shore) hit a sacrifice fly to left field.
 
The Red Dragons would plate two more in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead. With two outs, Oneonta had four consecutive singles to bring home the two runs. Sophomores Brianna Calby (South Huntington/Walt Whitman) and Meaghan Foster (Walden/Valley Central) started it with back-to-back singles through the right side and left side, respectively. Whittam and Brocco would each bring them home on singles of their own to opposite fields.
 
Oneonta would tack on one more run in the top of the seventh. Rivera led off with a double to center field. After a foul out and ground out, freshman Katie O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) laced her first collegiate triple to right field to score Krystn Neroda, who pinch ran for Rivera.
 
Rivera finished the Nichols game with three hits and Brocco, Calby and Foster each added a pair.
 
In the opening game of the day, Curry College won a thriller in the eighth inning as they defeated the Red Dragons 2-1.
 
After the third inning, the game was tied at 1-1. Curry got on the board in the top of their inning and Oneonta responded by plating one in the bottom of the inning. Calby started the inning off after getting on base because of an error. Whittam advanced Calby to third on a bunt that was mishandled by the first baseman. Brocco singled to bring Calby home.
 
Oneonta would leave six runners on base over the last five innings.
 
Freshman Sabrina DeAngelis (East Meadow/Kellenberg Memorial) struck out nine batters, four looking at the third strike, in the loss.
 
Oneonta will take on UMASS-Dartmouth and Pittsburgh at Bradford, March 15^th, at 9am and 11am, respectively.