CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The Oneonta softball team's season came to an end as they fell to Cortland, 4-3, in the SUNYAC Softball Championship Sunday afternoon in Cortland. Oneonta held a three-run lead heading into the final inning, then Cortland rallied for four runs to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Oneonta finished the 2025 season 20-19 overall and as the SUNYAC tournament runner-up.

Senior Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla), junior Jaime Cardello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas), and sophomores Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) and Ava Thys (Fairfax, Va./James W. Robinson Secondary (Va.)) were all named to the conference's All-Tournament Team. In the team's five postseason games, Serena finished 10-for-14 (.714 avg.) with two home runs, two doubles, five walks, and totaled eight RBI. Cardello ended the tournament 7-for-17 (.412 avg.) with two walks and three RBI, while Thys went 8-for-18 (.444 avg.) with two doubles, a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI. Brown started all five games in the circle for Oneonta and totaled 28.0 innings pitched, struck out 32 batters, and allowed 11 earned runs for a 2.75 ERA. She also totaled three RBI at the plate.
  In the championship game against Cortland, Serena was 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks. Her first hit was a single that gave her sole possession of the program record in career hits, then she slugged her 10th home run of the season for the program's single season home run record.

Thys finished 2-for-4 in the game while both Brown and Cardello went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Brown also pitched 6.0+ innings, struck out four and allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits.

Oneonta scored a pair of runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Thys led the game off with a single down the left field line, then Serena broke the program's hit record with a hard-hit single at the shortstop that bounced off her and into the outfield. Brown brought Thys home when she blasted a double into left center field. Cardello followed Brown in the lineup, and she smacked a single that dropped into right center and scored Serena.

Serena gave Oneonta a 3-0 lead in the top of the third with a moon shot to center field for her 29th career home run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Cortland recorded four runs to secure the game. They loaded the bases with no outs off two walks and a fielding error. The first run crossed home on a hit by pitch where it looked like the batter slightly leaned into the ball, but the ump thought otherwise. Cortland made it a one-run game on a sacrifice fly, then tied it on a fielder's choice where Oneonta got their second out. Cortland took the game on the next at-bat with a single to right field.

Freshman Kayla Kean (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) finished the game 1-for-3 while freshman Sophia Camacho (Newburgh, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) went 1-for-2.

Freshman Tanner Smith (White Plains, N.Y./Vahalla) (7-5) was tagged with the loss after she came into the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh. She recorded two outs and allowed an unearned run and one hit.

The game marks the end to the careers of Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna), Sophia Mangone (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley), Angelina Scalere (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley), and Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla), four Red Dragons that made an amazing impact on and off the field for the Oneonta softball program. Read Full Article