ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta softball team fell short in both games of their home opening doubleheader against RPI, Thursday afternoon at Red Dragon Softball Field. RPI had the slight advantage in game one for a 3-1 final, then they took game two, 5-4, before the game was called due to weather after five innings of play. The results moved the Red Dragons to 2-14 this season and the Engineers to 10-5 overall. 

Sophomore Sophia Camacho (Newburgh, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) finished the day 3-for-6 with a stolen base and a run scored. Freshman Eva Blaney (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) went 3-for-4 with a double and scored a run, while senior Jaime Cardello (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) was 2-for-5 with an RBI in the twin bill.

Game One: Oneonta 1, RPI 3
The game was scoreless until RPI scored in the top of the third inning. Gaby Heim got on base with a leadoff double, then she scored on an infield groundout. Oneonta managed to get runners on second and third base in both the second and third innings, but RPI's pitcher Callie Volker got the visiting team out of both innings with a strikeout.

In the top of the fourth, the Engineers added another run off a Red Dragon error.

Oneonta got on the board and made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman Ella Kean (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) hit a one-out single to center field and later moved to second on an infield single by sophomore Anna Spicciatie (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot). The Red Dragons loaded the bases with a walk from Cardello, then sophomore Tanner Smith (White Plains, N.Y./Vahalla) worked a five-pitch walk to bring in sophomore pinch runner Riley McDonnell (Melville, N.Y./Walt Whitman).

RPI extended their lead back to two in the top of the sixth off an Oneonta fielding mishap. The Red Dragons had a chance to cut their deficit in the bottom half of the inning after freshman Kendall Ward (Manorville, NY/Eastport-South Manor) and Camacho reached safely on back-to-back infield singles, however the Engineers closed out the inning with neither base runner crossing home. RPI ended the final inning three up, three down to take game one.

Camacho finished game one 3-for-4, while Spicciatie went 2-for-4. Ward and Blaney both went 1-for-2, and Cardello went 1-for-3 with a walk. 

Senior Anna Torgersen (Chester, NJ/Mendham) (2-5) was tagged with the loss after pitching 5.0 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits. Sophomore Bridget Barry (East Patchogue, N.Y.) pitched the final 2.0 innings without allowing a hit or run, and she struck out one batter.

Volker (3-2) got the win for RPI after pitching the complete game, striking out six, and allowing one run on 10 hits.

Game Two: Oneonta 4, RPI 5 (Five Innings)
The Engineers got on the board first in game two off an RBI single in the top of the second, but the Red Dragons answered with a run to tie it in the bottom half of the inning. Blaney belted a two-out double to left center, then she crossed home on the very next at-bat when Cardello blasted a double herself to center field.

RPI scored the next four runs of the game and took a 5-1 lead halfway through the fifth inning. The Engineers scored two in the third inning off a wild pitch and a fielder's choice, one in the fourth on a groundout, then they made it a four-run game off a double in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Oneonta pieced together a three-run rally and trimmed their deficit to one, 5-4. After sophomore Abigail Silliman (Rensselaer, N.Y./Columbia) reached on an error to lead off the inning, sophomore Tatum Passonno (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) smashed the ball into the right field corner to bring in Silliman. Following a walk from Camacho, Passonno scored on a grounder that advanced Camacho to third. The Red Dragon sophomore crossed home on a grounder from Kean.

Oneonta was down one run with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when the rain started to fall. The Engineers pitcher had a couple of pitches slip out of her hand that went behind her towards second base, and the umps initially delayed the game on a 2-0 count during junior Emily Brown's (Westbury, NY/Clarke) at-bat. Realizing the rain was not going to let up, the umps resumed play shortly after, and Brown worked a walk to get the tying run on base. Unfortunately, RPI was able to survive the scare and forced a groundout on the next at-bat, then the officials called the game to make it an official result after five innings of play.

Blaney went 2-for-2 with a double and scored a run in game two. Passonno finished 1-for-1 with an RBI triple and a run scored, and Cardello was 1-for-2 with an RBI double.

Freshman Caitlin McTiernan (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) (0-5) received the loss after pitching the complete game, striking out four batters, and allowing five runs, four runs, on five hits. Ava Markert (5-3) picked up the win for the Engineers after pitching the complete game and allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits.

The Red Dragons are back on the road for their next game on Monday, March 30, against Skidmore starting at 2:30 pm.  Read Full Article