A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta softball team continued its winning ways today with a sweep of Skidmore and Nazareth.  The Red Dragons are now 6-4 on the season with two more games remaining on its Florida trip.
 
The Inside Story
Game 1 – Oneonta 9, Skidmore 3
 
The Red Dragons didn't waste any time in pushing ahead scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.  Senior Caroline Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) reached on a throwing error by the shortstop to start the inning.  After the next two hitters were retired, freshman catcher Julia Serena (White Plains/Valhalla) cracked a two-run home run over the left field fence, which scored Koch ahead of her.
 
Oneonta added two more runs in their half of the third inning to create a four-run cushion.  With one out, junior Marissa Nagel (Averill Park/Averill Park) beat out an infield hit to short.  She was followed by Serena who walked and senior Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford) who was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Sophomore Victoria Hussey (Nesconset/Smithtown East) then singled to right field to drive in Nagel from third.  Sophomore Tori Brower (West Islip/West Islip), who pinch-ran for Serena, scored on a ground out by freshman Sophia Mangone (Ardsley/Ardsley).
 
Skidmore rallied in the bottom of the third scoring its three runs.  Four straight hits including a pair of triples accounted for the runs in the inning.
 
The Red Dragons scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to increase its lead to 6-3.  Nagel drove in Koch for the run in the fourth while sophomore Sara Cartier (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) hit a pinch-hit single in the fifth to score Hussey.
 
A three-run seventh gave Oneonta its final margin of victory.  Mangone had a triple in the inning to drive in Palmatier.  Junior Adriana Fiori (Newtown, CT/Brookfield) drove in the final two runs with a sharp single to right field which scored Mangone and Cartier.
 
Freshman Angelina Scalere (Ardsley/Ardsley) earned her first collegiate win in relief for Oneonta tossing 4-2/3rds innings of one-hit ball striking out four.
 
Game 2 – Oneonta 8, Nazareth 0 (5 innings)
 
The game was shaping up as a pitcher's duel until the top of the fifth when Oneonta exploded for eight runs.  Sophomore Lauren Weber (Sayville/Sayville) was masterful in picking up her third win of the season.  She got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth with a strikeout.  Weber struck out five and allowed only three hits in going the distance.
 
The fifth inning started with a single by Mangone.  She went to third on a bunt single by Hussey where she beat the throw to first.  Hussey then stole second to put runners in scoring position with no outs.
 
With one out, Fiori executed a squeeze scoring Mangone while also reaching second base herself keeping a pair in scoring position.  Oneonta then rallied for seven more runs with two outs.
 
Sophomore Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)) got things going with a two RBI single.  Cancelleri was followed by a triple by Nagel allowing her to come around to score.  Nagel wasn't on third for long, as she walked in on a deep home run to center field by Serena.
 
Palmatier kept the rally going with a triple of her own scoring on a fielding error by the right fielder.  Mangone was the beneficiary of the error and she found herself on third base after stealing second and advancing on a throwing error by the catcher.  Mangone scored the final run on a single by Hussey.
 
Just the Stats
Serena paced the offense today with her two home runs and four runs batted in.  Hussey collected four hits and two RBIs.  Cancelleri, Mangone and Fiori all had three hits each.  Fiori drove in three runs while Mangone and Cancelleri each drove in a pair of runs.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will play its final two games in Florida tomorrow against Alfred State and Wisconsin-Superior.
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