ONEONTA, N.Y. -- With a change in plans due to weather, the opening day of the SUNYAC softball tournament was held at the Red Dragon Softball Stadium on Thursday where the Oneonta softball team split their pair of games to advance to day two. The Red Dragons began the tournament in an elimination game and defeated Fredonia, 8-1, to get into the four team double elimination bracket, then they fell to Cortland in the first round, 6-3. Oneonta will play New Paltz in an elimination game on Saturday in Cortland.
Senior
Julia Serena (White Plains, N.Y./Valhalla) recorded her 28th career home run against Cortland and finished the day 4-for-6 with four RBI. Sophomore
Emily Brown (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) pitched the complete game against Fredonia and struck out 10 batters, allowed one run on three hits, while she also went 1-for-3 with an RBI at the plate. In her first career playoff at-bat, freshman
Kayla Kean (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) put game one out of reach with a grand slam, which was her second collegiate home run. Kean ended game one 2-for-4 with four RBI.
#5 Oneonta 8, #4 Fredonia 1 (Elimination Game)
Entering the opening elimination game between the Red Dragons and Blue Devils, it was an anticipated sophomore pitching duel between Brown and Kendall Phillips. Phillips had the best ERA in conference play with a 0.37 across 56.2 innings and was third in the league with 68 strikeouts, while Brown was fourth in the SUNYAC with 60 strikeouts and had the 11th best 3.05 ERA in 41.1 innings. The pitching showdown became a one-woman showcase as Oneonta's offense came out hot and put up five runs in the first inning to support Brown as they forced Fredonia to pull Phillips after she recorded only one out.
As the designated away team, Oneonta broke the scoreless tie and started their five-run rally in the top half of the first when Serena scorched a double to the center field wall and scored sophomore
Ava Thys (Fairfax, Va./James W. Robinson Secondary (Va.)). Following Serena's RBI double, Brown worked a walk and junior
Jaime Cardello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) laid down a bunt to load the bases for Kean to blast her grand slam on a 2-2 count over the left field wall and give the Red Dragons a 5-0 lead.
Fredonia scored their lone run in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single from Brooke Caldwell.
Oneonta added three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning with three RBI singles. Brown roped a single to left field that brought in freshman
Anna Spicciatie (Oakdale, N.Y.). Cardello dropped a single into shallow left field and scored freshman
Riley McDonnell (Melville, N.Y./Walt Whitman), then freshman
Sophia Camacho (Newburgh, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) hit a one-hopper over the pitcher for an infield single that allowed freshman
Tatum Passonno (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) to cross home.
Brown (9-7) pitched 7.0 innings, struck out 10 and allowed one run on three hits and two walks, while Phillips (8-6) got the loss after pitching 0.1 innings, striking out one, and allowing five runs on three hits and two walks.
Cardello and Kean each finished the game with two hits as Kean totaled four RBI and Cardello had one. Serena went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while both Brown and Camacho had an RBI single.
#5 Oneonta 3, #1 Cortland 6 (First Round Double-Elimination)
Senior
Sophia Mangone (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) was the first batter to get on base against Cortland with a one-out double over the second baseman into right center field. Serena then stepped into the batter's box and smashed her ninth home run of the season on a 2-2 count straight over the center field wall.
Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the third when Maggie Cummings hit a two-run double down the left field line. The top-seed of the tournament went up two in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of RBI infield singles, then Shannon Scotto hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to give Cortland a 5-2 edge.
Oneonta got one run back in the top of the sixth when Thys smacked a double, that could have gone over had there been no wind, to the left field fence and scored when Serena hit a deep single that bounced off the left field wall. Cortland regained the three-run lead in the bottom of the sixth for the 6-3 final with an RBI single.
Thys finished the game 2-for-3, Serena went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Mangone was 1-for-3.
Senior
Cadence Brennan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) (0-4) was tagged with the loss after pitching 0.2 innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Brown pitched the first 3.0 innings, struck out three, and allowed two runs on three hits, and freshman
Tanner Smith (White Plains, N.Y./Vahalla) pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
Oneonta travels to Cortland for day two of the SUNYAC tournament on Saturday, May 10, and they will face New Paltz at 12 pm. The winner will play the loser of Buffalo State and Cortland at 2 pm for a spot in the SUNYAC final.
