A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta softball team returned to action at home today against Buffalo State splitting a doubleheader with the Bengals.  The Red Dragons took the first game 6-1, but fell short in game 2, 10-9.  Oneonta is now 14-7 overall and 5-1 in the SUNYAC while Buffalo State leaves town 7-14 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
 
The Inside Story
Game 1 – Oneonta 6, Buffalo State 1
 
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning, Oneonta rallied back in the bottom of the inning with four runs.  All four runs in the inning came with two outs.
 
The Red Dragons loaded the bases on a fielder's choice, a single by Gianna DiGiovanni (Wantagh/Sacred Heart Academy) and a bunt single by Delaney Haley (Levittown/Division Avenue), bringing to the plate senior Caroline Koch (New City/Clarkstown South).  Koch smacked a double to left field to bring in Aysia Oliver (Brentwood/Brentwood) and DiGiovanni while leaving two runners in scoring position for the next batter Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)).  Cancelleri delivered a two-run single to left center field to bring home Haley and Koch.
 
Oneonta scored its final two runs in the bottom of the third inning on a pair of solo home runs.  Junior Marissa Nagel (Averill Park/Averill Park) led off the inning with her first collegiate dinger and two batters later senior Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford) hit a high fly ball down the line that kept drifting to the other side of the fence for her second of the season.
 
Freshman Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna/Niskayuna) picked up her fourth win of the season throwing five strong innings allowing six hits, one run and striking out one.
 
Game 2 – Buffalo State 10, Oneonta 9
 
Oneonta nearly overcame an eight-run first inning by the Bengals before falling 10-9.
 
The comeback began in the fourth inning trailing 9-3.  The Red Dragons scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to pull within 9-5.  A leadoff home run to straight away center field for the Bengals in the sixth got one run back.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Koch walked to start the inning and Cancelleri singled to center field to put two runners on.  Cancelleri was putout at second on a fielder's choice by Nagel putting runners at the corners for freshman Julia Serena (White Plains/Valhalla).  Serena, who hit a solo home run in the previous inning, was pitched around to load the bases.  The next batter was Palmatier who worked the count to 3-2 and kept fouling off pitches.  She finally made solid contact on one and deposited it over the left field fence for a grand slam pulling Oneonta to within a single run.
 
Serena's home run in game 2 gave her six for the season, tying her with four other players for most all-time in a single season.
 
Koch collected three hits and two RBIs in game one while Palmatier had three hits and four RBIs in game 2.
 
As a team, Oneonta collected 19 hits on the day including six for extra bases.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will jump right back into action tomorrow when they host Fredonia for a doubleheader beginning at 3pm.
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