A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta softball team swept the Buffalo State Bengals today and, with the two wins, secured a playoff spot for the SUNYAC tournament that begins next weekend.  The Red Dragons will finish out the regular season tomorrow at Fredonia where they will play for seeding.
 
The Inside Story
After winning game 1, Oneonta (15-18-1, 10-6 SUNYAC) had to play extra innings to win game 2, 5-4.
 
In the nightcap, the game-winning run scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Lauren Sabatino (Bayville/Locust Valley) in the top of the ninth inning.  Junior Jade Meehan (Halcottsville/Roxbury Central) scored from third base after bunting her way on and advancing to third base on a throwing error by the third baseman.
 
Sabatino also had the big hit in game 1 when she clobbered a three-run homer in the third inning that sailed over the left field fence.  Scoring in front of her was Meehan and classmate Dana Del Genio (New Hartford/New Hartford).  Del Genio led off the inning with a triple and Meehan reached on an infield single.
 
Oneonta's final run of the first game came in the fourth inning on an RBI double off the bat of Del Genio, as junior Brooke Corbett (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) came into score from second after smacking a double to lead off the inning.
 
Junior Alyssa Bluethgen (Commack/Commack) earned her ninth victory of the season going the distance and striking out seven Bengals.
 
The Red Dragons scored three runs in the first two innings of the second game to grab a 3-0 lead.  Sabatino drove in Del Genio from third base with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.  Oneonta benefitted from an error by the Bengals in the second that allowed Corbett and sophomore Kristen Collins (Hicksville/Holy Trinity) to score.
 
Oneonta scored another unearned run in the top of the fourth inning.  Junior Bailey Schwark (Port Ewen/Kingston) led off with an infield single and went to second after Corbett reached on an error.  Schwark then scored on a two-out single by Del Genio.
 
The Bengals rebounded in the bottom of the fourth inning when they plated four runs to tie the score at four apiece.  Buffalo State loaded the bases and scored its first run on a sacrifice fly.  Jill Blujus hit a two-out, two-run single to drive in the final two runs of the inning.
 
Freshman Madison Capozucca (South Glens Falls/South Glens Falls) earned the win for Oneonta in relief of junior Julia Calabro (Wantagh/St. John the Baptist).  Capozucca pitched five innings of two-hit ball.  Bluethgen pitched a scoreless ninth to earn her second save of the season.
 
Just the Stats
Sabatino collected three hits today while driving in five runs.  Her home run in game 1 was her sixth of the season, which tied the single season record.  Del Genio recorded five hits on the day and drove in a pair.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will play its doubleheader tomorrow against Fredonia beginning at noon.