The SUNY Oneonta softball team sent an early message early to the rest of the SUNYAC that they are the team to beat, as they opened the 2014 conference tournament with a convincing 12-2 win against New Paltz in five innings.  The Red Dragons slammed three home runs and freshman Sabrina DeAngelis (East Meadow/Kellenberg Memorial) kept the Hawks bats silent en route to picking up her 15 win of the season.
 
"What a great way to start the tournament," commented Oneonta coach Sara Headley.  "I am happy the way the team responded to giving up an early run.  We struggled earlier in the year against their pitcher (Rutcofsky), so it was nice to see our team make the necessary adjustments."
 
New Paltz (10-23) scored its only run in the top of the first inning.  Leadoff hitter, Shayna Burgess, started the game with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a passed ball.  She was then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Noelle Grande.  Burgess scored on a single up the middle by Chelsea Kull.
 
Oneonta (26-9) came back in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 1-1.  Sophomore Jamie Whittam started things with a single up the middle and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jenn Brocco.  Whittam came around to score on a two-out single to left field by Marlene Cuevas (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham).
 
The Red Dragons began to seize control of the game in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-out, two-run double by Whittam that drove in Katie O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and Nicole Marzillo.
 
Oneonta increased its lead to 6-1 with three more runs in the bottom of the third inning.  The first run came off the bat of Traci Lichtenstein, as she led off the inning with a drive to center field that cleared the fence.  The next runs came in when O'Gorman cracked a double to left center field with two outs that scored both Marzillo and Brianna Rivera.
 
The Red Dragons put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth inning when they scored six runs.  Lichtenstein struck a double to dive in Brocco with the first run.  Cuevas then homered to center field to account for the next two runs.  The final three runs of the inning came in via a three-run blast by O'Gorman with two outs.
 
Oneonta will not play again until tomorrow morning at 9am against the loser of the Brockport/SUNY Geneseo game at 3pm Thursday.