A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta softball lost a pair of close games today at rival Cortland.  After falling, 4-2, in the first game of a SUNYAC doubleheader, Cortland walked off with a 5-4 victory in the night cap.  The losses for Oneonta dropped them to 6-12-1 overall and 1-3 in the SUNYAC while Cortland moves to 11-8 overall and 4-0 in the conference.
 
The Inside Story
Oneonta scored first in game 1 with a single run in the first inning.  Back-to-back singles by seniors Dana Del Genio (New Hartford/New Hartford) and Selena Ruiz (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) put two runners on the start the game.  After a ground out by Caroline Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) moved the runners up, senior Lauren Sabatino (Bayville/Locust Valley) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Del Genio from third.
 
After Cortland tied the score in the bottom of the second, Oneonta grabbed the lead again with a single run in the top of the third.  Del Genio led off the inning with a double to right-center field, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ruiz and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Koch.
 
Cortland scored a pair in the home half of the third and added one more run in the sixth for the final of 4-2.
 
Oneonta scored first again in game 2 when they plated a single run in the third inning.  With two outs and freshman Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford) on first base, Del Genio delivered a double to left-center to bring Palmatier home.
 
Cortland struck for three runs in the bottom of the third to grab a 3-1 lead.
 
Still trailing entering the sixth, it was Sabatino that came up with a big hit for Oneonta.  Del Genio and Ruiz set the table with back-to-back singles before Sabatino cleared the bases with a one-out, three-run blast to put Oneonta ahead 4-3.
 
Junior Alyssa Bluethgen (Commack/Commack), who entered the game in the bottom of the sixth, pitched out of a bases loaded jam getting the third out with a strikeout.
 
Cortland rallied once again in their final at-bat, loading the bases with one out before a single through the right side by Alyssa Finno ended the game, as the winning run scored from second base.
 
Just the Stats
Del Genio was 5-for-8 in today's twin bill with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and an RBI.  Sabatino drove in four runs today and had two hits in game 2.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will be back in action tomorrow when they will play its rescheduled doubleheader against Oswego on the road beginning at noon.