A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta softball team opened its Florida trip today with a split of a pair of games.  The Red Dragons fell in its opener to Central College of Iowa before bouncing back to defeat Western Connecticut State University.
 
The Inside Story
Game 1 – Central 3, Oneonta 2
 
Central (2-5) gained an early 1-0 lead with a single unearned run in the bottom of the second inning.  After getting runners in scoring position, a perfectly executed bunt brought home the runner from third base.
 
Oneonta (1-4) tied the score with a run of its own in the top of the third.  Sophomore Victoria Hussey (Nesconset/Smithtown East) led off the inning with a double to left-center field.  Junior Adriana Fiori (Newtown, CT/Brookfield) then sacrificed pinch runner Sara Cartier (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) over to third base.  After a walk to pinch hitter Gianna DiGiovanni (Wantagh/Sacred Heart Academy), Delaney Haley (Levittown/Division Avenue) was re-entered for DiGiovanni giving Oneonta runners at the corner.  Cartier scored on a double steal where Haley was thrown out at second base.
 
The Red Dragons took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth taking advantage of a fielding error by the shortstop.  After beating out an infield hit, Nagel was the beneficiary of the error on a hit to the shortstop by senior Caroline Koch (New City/Clarkstown South).  Another double steal play gave Oneonta runners in scoring position for freshman Julia Serena (White Plains/Valhalla) who hit a sharp single to left field to bring home Nagel.
 
Central countered in the home half of the inning with a pair of runs to grab a 3-2 lead.  The Red Dragons had runners in scoring position in the fifth but couldn't get them home.  It was the last threat for Oneonta in the game.
 
Game 2 – Oneonta 5, Western Connecticut 2
 
Oneonta scored all its runs in the bottom of the second inning.  Senior Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford) and DiGiovanni hit back-to-back singles to give Oneonta runners in scoring position with no outs.  The next batter was freshman Sophia Mangone (Ardsley/Ardsley) who ripped a double down the left field line to score both Palmatier and DiGiovanni.  Mangone scored on a throwing error by the third baseman on a single by Fiori, which allowed Fiori to move into scoring position on the play.  Fiori then scored on an RBI single by sophomore Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)).  Nagel then singled advancing Cancelleri to second before a two-out single by Serena scored Cancelleri with the final run of the inning.
 
Western Connecticut scored single runs in the third and fourth innings but were shut down over the final three innings by winning pitcher Lauren Weber (Sayville/Sayville), who came on in the fourth inning in relief of starter, freshman Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna/Niskayuna).
 
Just the Stats
Cancelleri and Nagel collected three hits today while Koch had two hits in the second game.  Mangone drove in a pair of runs.
 
Weber allowed no runs and struck out six batters in 3.2 innings to pick up her first win of the season.  Brennan appeared in both games today, finishing the final 2.1 innings of game one allowing not hits.  Versus Western Connecticut, she recorded four strikeouts in 3.1 innings while allowing only one earned run.
 
Freshman Angelina Scalere (Ardsley/Ardsley) took the loss in game 1 allowing six hits and a pair of runs in 1.2 innings in relief of starter Kathryn Davies (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional), who threw two innings allowing one earned run.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will play two more games tomorrow against Kenyon at 9am and SUNY Canton at 11am.
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