GLASSBORO, NJ – The SUNY Oneonta softball team dropped both games of their season opening doubleheader against No. 5 nationally-ranked Rowan University, Tuesday afternoon. The Profs (2-0) won game one in five innings, 8-0, and took game two, 7-1. Junior
Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) went 2-for-4 on the day with a run scored and a walk as the Red Dragons started their season 0-2.
Game One: Rowan 8, Oneonta 0 (5 innings)
Rowan gained a 1-0 lead in the first off a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Payton MacNair from second base.
Freshmen
Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) and
Ava Thys (Fairfax, Va./James W. Robinson Secondary (Va.)) recorded their first collegiate hits in the top of the second. Brown hit a short pop up out of the catcher's reach, and Thys hit one over the shortstop's head into left centerfield, but both were left stranded at end the inning.
The Profs added four more runs in the bottom half of the second. Brooke McGuigan and Melvin McKenzie each hit an RBI single and MacNair singled to left field to score two more and make it 5-0.
Senior
Gianna Cancelleri (Naples, FL/Washingtonville (NY)) got hit by a pitch then stole second while Serena worked a walk to get two runners on with one out in the top of the third for the Red Dragons. The inning ended with a couple groundouts as neither Cancelleri nor Serena crossed home.
Rowan scored their last three runs in the fifth inning for the eight-run mercy rule. Following three singles to load the bases, the Profs scored one off a hit by pitch, another on a walk, then a single to right field by Cami Morgan.
Senior
Marissa Dionisio (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) (0-1) was tabbed with the loss after pitching 4.1 innings, striking out one, and allowing seven runs, five earned, off eight hits. Sophomore
Anna Torgersen (Chester, NJ/Mendham) faced three batters at the end of the game and allowed one run off one hit.
Rylee Lutz (1-0) pitched the complete game for Rowan, struck out eight and allowed three hits.
Game Two: Rowan 7, Oneonta 1
Oneonta capitalized on a Rowan miscue to get on the board first in game two. With two outs in the top of the third, Serena singled to right field then senior
Victoria Hussey (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) hit the ball out to left field where it was dropped by the left fielder which allowed Serena to score.
The Profs took the lead in the bottom half of the third with back-to-back RBI doubles from Cat Thomas and Breanna Bryant. Rowan scored another two in the fifth inning off a wild pitch and a single, then three more in the sixth to make it 7-1.
Sophomore
Cailin Hall (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) hit a single down the first base line in the seventh inning to keep Oneonta alive. Senior
Adriana Fiori (Newtown, CT/Brookfield) came in to pinch-run for Hall where she stole second base then advanced to third but could not score.
Junior
Sophia Mangone (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) went 2-for-3 in game two. Brown (0-1) received the loss in game two after she pitched 5.0 innings, struck out four, and allowed four runs, two earned, off five hits. Junior
Angelina Scalere (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) pitched 1.0 inning and allowed three runs off three hits.
Emily McCutcheon (1-0) pitched the complete game for the Profs, struck out two, and allowed one unearned run off eight hits.
The Red Dragons are back in action on March 12 when they travel west for spring break to Oregon to face Lewis & Clark in a doubleheader starting at 4 pm EST.
