ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta softball team fell in game one, 9-7, in nine innings, before taking game two, 7-5, to split their doubleheader against Skidmore, Sunday afternoon. The Red Dragons now sit at 3-10-1 on the season and the Thoroughbreds moved to 3-8 overall.

Game One: Oneonta 7, Skidmore 9 - Final 9 innings 
Senior Kayla Young (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker), graduate student Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford), and junior Victoria Hussey (Nesconset/Smithtown East) started the bottom of the fourth with three straight walks to load the bases. During junior Sara Cartier's (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) at-bat, Young scored off a passed ball while Palmatier and Hussey advanced 60 feet. Cartier laid down a perfect bunt to score Palmatier, and in the same play she continued to second with no one covering the base. Once she reached second, Hussey began to inch towards home plate forcing the Thoroughbreds to throw to third, however the throw was off target allowing Hussey to score and Cartier to move to third. During the next at-bat, Cartier scored off a passed ball.  

Skidmore got two runs back in the fifth off an RBI double by Chloe McGonagle and a bases-loaded walk. The next inning, McGonagle hit a two-RBI double then scored on Grace O'Connell's triple, giving the Thoroughbreds a 5-4 lead. The Red Dragons knotted the game at five in the bottom of the fifth when freshman Cailin Hall (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) recorded her first collegiate hit, an RBI-double to left field that scored Palmatier.  

In the top of the seventh, Skidmore retook the lead when Jessica Nachamie hit an infield RBI-single.

Down to their final three outs, Oneonta got two runners on base with back-to-back singles from junior Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)) and sophomore Julia Serena (White Plains/Valhalla). With no outs, Young sacrifice bunted to advance both runners and as she got to first and was called out, she collided with the first baseman who still had the ball, allowing Cancelleri to touch home. The Red Dragons could not get the winning run in and the game went into extras.  

Skidmore scored one in the top of the eighth off a sacrifice fly, but Oneonta got it back in the bottom half of the inning when sophomore Sophia Mangone (Ardsley/Ardsley) singled through the right side and brought in junior Sarah Paige (Fort Ann, N.Y./Fort Ann Central).  

Similar to the eighth, the Thoroughbreds got a run off a sacrifice fly from Nachamie. After having a runner reach first off an error, Skidmore's Meghan Robertson made it 9-7 with a single up the middle. In their last set of at-bats, the Red Dragons were able to get the tying run on base but could not score either runner.  

Sophomore Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna/Niskayuna) (0-3) was tagged with the loss after pitching the final 3.2 innings, allowing four runs, one earned, and striking out three. Junior Marissa Dionisio (Sayville/Sayville) started the game and pitched 4.1 innings, allowed two runs and struck out three. Sophomore Angelina Scalere (Ardsley/Ardsley) pitched 1.0 inning, allowed three runs and struck out one.

Lindsey Raimondi (3-3) got the win after pitching 8.0 innings total, allowing six runs, four earned, off seven hits and striking out nine. Emerson Hannan pitched 1.0 inning for the Thoroughbreds until Raimondi came back in the sixth.  

Game Two: Oneonta 7, Skidmore 5
Junior Aysia Oliver (Brentwood/Brentwood) put the Red Dragons ahead 2-0 in the second inning with a triple to right center.

Madison Bonham tied it in the top of the fourth with a two-RBI double, however Oneonta put together a three-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Following a couple flyouts, Cartier reached first on a fielding error then made it to third when Oliver singled up the middle. After Oliver stole second, junior Delaney Haley (Levittown/Division Avenue) hit a single to shortstop, scoring Cartier. Senior Marissa Nagel (Averill Park/Averill Park) kept the rally going and brought Oliver home with a single to right field. The Red Dragons got their final run on the board when Haley stole home during a double steal attempt with Nagel.  

The Thoroughbreds made it a one-run game in the fifth off a two-run McGonagle single with no outs. Threatening to go on a run, the Red Dragons went to the bullpen and brought in Brennan. Brennan allowed one hit, then with one out loaded the bases but got out of the inning with a couple of line outs.  

Palmatier hit a solo shot over the center field fence for her first home run of the season to put Oneonta ahead 6-4 in the fifth.  

In the sixth, McGonagle narrowed the lead once again to one run with a double to center field, but the Red Dragons got the run back after Nagel doubled to right center and later scored off a wild pitch.  

After coming in to make the final out in the sixth, Dionisio recorded a 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn the save.  

In the game two win, Nagel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run. Cancelleri, Cartier, and Oliver all went 2-for-3, Oliver had two RBI and Cartier scored twice.  

Freshman Anna Torgersen (Chester, NJ/Mendham) (2-2) earned the win after pitching 4.0 innings, allowing four runs, two earned with three strikeouts. Brennan came in for 1.2 innings and allowed a run, and Dionisio (1) picked up the save after pitching the final 1.1 innings, striking out one.  

McGonagle went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI for Skidmore. Robertson (0-5) pitched 4.0 innings for the Thoroughbreds, allowed five runs, two earned, and struck out two. Hannan pitched 2.0 innings, allowed two runs and struck out two.  

Oneonta hosts St. Lawrence on Saturday for a doubleheader at 2 pm.  Read Full Article