ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta softball team dropped both games in their home opening doubleheader against No. 19 nationally ranked RPI, Saturday afternoon. The Red Dragons fell in game one, 2-6, and game two, 4-10, to move to 4-10 on the season, while the Engineers improved to 15-0-1 overall. Junior
Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) finished 4-for-6 with three RBI and scored a run, and senior
Delaney Haley (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) ended the day 4-for-7 with three runs and three stolen bases.
Game One: Oneonta 2, RPI 6
Evann McDowell scored the first runner for RPI with a double in the first. In the bottom half of the inning, Oneonta tied it with a sacrifice fly from junior
Sophia Mangone (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley).
The Engineers scored five runs to build a 6-1 lead heading into the sixth inning. Cat Worthington hit a two-run home run in the second and Ryleigh Falvey hit an RBI-single in the top of the fourth. The last two runs came in the fifth off a bases-loaded walk then a sacrifice fly.
The Red Dragons tallied one more run in the bottom of the sixth when senior
Victoria Hussey (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) doubled to left-center field and scored Haley.
Haley finished game one 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and scored both runs for Oneonta. Hussey went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman
Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) (2-4) was tagged with the loss, pitched 4.0 innings, struck out three, and allowed six runs on eight hits. Junior
Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) pitched 1.0 inning and struck out one, and junior
Angelina Scalere (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) pitched 2.0 scoreless innings.
Brooke Sroczinski (4-0) pitched the complete game for RPI, struck out six, and allowed two runs on five hits. Erin Askins went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and McDowell finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Game Two: Oneonta 4, RPI 10
Alex Ledger gave RPI a 3-0 lead with a three-RBI double in the first, but Oneonta gained two runs back in the bottom of the inning. Haley reached first on an infield single to the pitcher then stole second. Serena brought Haley home with a triple to right field, and later scored on an error by the Engineers catcher.
Ledger scored two more runs in the second with a single up the middle, then Askins added two more in the third to go ahead 7-2. Oneonta recorded one run in the third and another in the fifth with the combination of senior
Adriana Fiori (Newtown, CT/Brookfield) and Serena to make it 7-4. In the third, Fiori had an infield single to the shortstop, stole second, and scored off Serena's single through the left side. A couple innings later, Fiori singled off an infield single to third base, stole second, then reached home off Serena's double that bounced to the left field fence.
RPI's Liv Vizzini hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth before Askins hit an RBI single in the seventh for the final run of the game.
Serena was a home run away from the cycle as she finished 3-for-3 with three RBI. Fiori went 2-for-2, stole two bases, and scored twice. Brennan (1-1) received the loss, pitched 1.2 innings, struck out two, and allowed five runs, three earned, off seven hits. Senior
Marissa Dionisio (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) pitched 3.1 innings, struck out one and allowed two runs, and Scalere pitched the final two innings and allowed three runs.
Ledger had two hits and five RBI, while Askins went 4-for-4 with three RBI. Alexis Cooke (3-0) picked up the win, pitched 5.0 innings, struck out two, and allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits. Ava Markert pitched the last 2.0 innings for the Engineers.
The Red Dragons' next doubleheader is on the road against Union on Tuesday, April 2, at 3 pm.
