CAMDEN, NJ. -- The Oneonta softball team started their 2025 season with a doubleheader sweep on the road against Rutgers-Camden, Tuesday afternoon. The Red Dragons defeated the Scarlet Raptors in game one 3-0, then built an early lead in game two for a 4-3 victory. With the pair of wins, Oneonta starts the season 2-0 and Rutgers-Camden drops to 0-2.
Senior
Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) finished the day 3-for-6 and recorded two RBI to become the program's all-time leader in career RBI. She tied Katie O'Gorman's '17 114 career-RBI record at the end of the 2024 season, then became the sole leader with a double in the second inning of game one. Serena added another RBI in the fourth inning to put her current career total at 116. Along with career-RBIs, the senior currently holds the program's record for career home runs (19), slugging percentage (.657), RBIs in a single season (45), slugging percentage in a season (.700), and doubles in a single season (18).
Sophomore, and last season's SUNYAC Rookie of the Year,
Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) pitched a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts and allowed only two hits in game one. Brown also went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored a run in the 3-0 win. Junior
Jaime Cardello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) finished the doubleheader 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored twice, while sophomore
Ava Thys (Fairfax, Va./James W. Robinson Secondary (Va.)) recorded a hit and an RBI in each game.
Game One: Oneonta 3, Rutgers-Camden 0
The Red Dragons recorded a run in the second, third, and fourth innings of their game one victory. Cardello got herself into scoring position in the second inning with a leadoff walk then advanced to second base on a passed ball. Serena brought Cardello home and scored the Red Dragons first run of the season with a two-out RBI-double to left center.
In the top of the third, Brown hit a leadoff double to right field then made her way to third on a passed ball. Thys scored Brown on a grounder to give Oneonta a 2-0 lead. Keeping the trend going, Cardello got into scoring position with a leadoff double to left center. After she advanced to third, freshman
Anna Spicciatie (Oakdale, N.Y.) laid down a bunt for her first collegiate hit. Serena got Cardello home for the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Senior
Sophia Mangone (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) went 2-for-4 in the win, while Cardello went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs.
One of Brown's (1-0) two hits were allowed at the start of the third inning and the other with two outs in the seventh. The seventh inning hit set up the Raptors with runners on first and third, however the Red Dragons got out of the jam with a flyout to end the game.
Sammie Friel (0-1) was tagged with the loss for Rutgers-Camden after she pitched 3.0 innings, struck out five and allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits.
Game Two: Oneonta 4, Rutgers-Camden 3
Junior
Cailin Hall (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) got Oneonta's offense going in game two with a single to left field in the second inning. Hall crossed home and gave the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead when Cardello doubled to right center. Freshman
Kayla Kean (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) recorded her first collegiate hit with an infield single, however the lead remained 1-0 at the end of the inning.
Oneonta added three more runs in the third inning to go up 4-0. Serena started the rally with a single to center. Freshman
Riley McDonnell (Melville, N.Y./Walt Whitman) pinch-ran for Serena and scored from second off a Rutgers-Camden fielding error, which allowed Brown to reach second. Brown scored the Red Dragons third run when Thys singled to center field, and the center fielder committed a throwing error. Thys made it to second on the error and was brought home on Hall's RBI-single to center field.
The Raptors recorded their first run in the bottom of the fourth on a single from Kendall Lafferty. Rutgers-Camden made it a one-run game in the sixth inning on back-to-back RBI singles with two outs. Runners were on second and third when senior
Angelina Scalere (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) came in and struck out Ryleigh Lender to get out of the inning.
Scalere went three up three down in the seventh inning for her first save of the season and the Red Dragon victory. The save was Scalere's 13th of her career, she is already the program's leader in career saves.
Freshman
Tanner Smith (White Plains, N.Y./Vahalla) picked up the win in her first career start for Oneonta. Smith (1-0) pitched 4.0 innings, struck out one and allowed one run on five hits. Scalere pitched 1.1 innings and struck out one, and senior
Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) struck out one in 1.2 innings.
Cardello, Hall, and Serena all went 2-for-3 in game two, while Cardello, Hall, and Thys recorded an RBI. Molly Skelly (0-1) received the loss for Rutgers-Camden after she pitched 3.0 innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Wednesday, February 26, against Rowan in a road doubleheader starting at 1 pm.
