MARCY, N.Y. – The SUNYIT Softball Team put together an impressive string of victories to end the regular season, earning a split with Keuka on Sunday and then sweeping Cazenovia at home on Monday to finish the regular season with a 16-4 overall record, and a 14-4 NEAC record.

The Wildcats are the #2 seed in the North Division for the upcoming NEAC softball tournament, which will take place beginning this Friday, May 2^nd, at SUNY Cobleskill. A complete list of the seeding for the upcoming tournament is included at the bottom of this release.

SUNYIT secured the #2 seed in large part due to a clutch victory Sunday afternoon at Keuka. After dropping the first game 8-4, the Wildcats yet again found themselves in a must-win situation if they wanted to keep pace with the other NEAC top contenders.

After two scoreless innings, the home Storm took advantage of an infield error to take a 1-0 lead on game two starter Fallon Reinold (Holland Patent, N.Y. / Holland Patent). The Wildcats, however, answered right back in the top of the fourth. A Krista Pristera (New Hartford, N.Y. / New Hartford) base hit got things started with one out, and when Pristera advanced to third on a Jessica Patterelli (Canastota, N.Y. / Canastota) double, things were looking good for the Wildcats. But Storm reigning NEAC pitcher of the week Liz Warren struck the next batter out, leaving SUNYI T in danger of stranding both runners. Fans of the Wildcats, however, will know that the 6-spot in the SUNYIT lineup this year is no easy out, and Erika Charbonneau (Boonville, N.Y. / Adirondack) proved that by smacking a clutch 2-out double to center field, scoring both Pristera and Patterelli to give SUNYIT a 2-1 lead.

The Storm pushed across a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 2-2. In the top of the 6^th, Patterelli led off the inning with a single, and would later score on a 1-out double by designated player Abby Black (Turin, N.Y. / South Lewis). Black's double to left field also knocked Warren out of the game, as game one starter Danielle Gravel came in to close things out. Gravel would keep the Wildcat bats at bay, but Reinold was just as good, allowing just one baserunner over the final 2 innings to give SUNYIT a hair-raising victory, 3-2.

SUNYIT's – and Fallon Reinold's, for that matter – heroics in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader were practically old hat for the Wildcats. In each of SUNYIT's 4 doubleheaders against the cream of the NEAC North Division crop (two each against SUNY Cobleskill and Keuka), the Wildcats have lost the first game. Knowing that a sweep by either team could spell doom in a division with so little room for error, SUNYIT has answered the bell each time, winning the 2^nd game of all four of those critical doubleheaders. Reinold appears to like the pressure, as she went 4-0 on the mound in such games.

After Sunday the Wildcats were tied with Keuka for 2^nd place, and so still needed to take care of business against Cazenovia at home on Monday. While SUNYIT has traditionally dispatched with the NEAC's other Wildcats fairly easily, the team did have a close shave earlier in the year when they needed a Krista Pristera home run with two outs in the top of the 7^th inning to stave off defeat.

On Monday, however, SUNYIT left nothing to chance. The Wildcats pounded out 12 hits in just four at-bats en route to an 11-1 victory in the first game, then added 13 hits in an almost identical game two which SUNYIT won 8-0.

Patterelli stayed hot, going 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI's in the first game, then going 1-for-2 with a double and 2 RBI's in the nightcap. Abby Black and Corinna Laracuente (Utica, N.Y. / Utica-Proctor) were excellent as well in game one. Black went 3-for-3 with a double, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's, while Laracuente finished 2-for-3 with 3 RBI's and a double.

In the second game catcher Danielle Witchley (New Hartford, N.Y. / New Hartford) went a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI, while slap-hitting outfielder Kierston Albertson (Kirkville, N.Y. / East Syracuse Minoa) also finished 3-for-3, adding 2 RBI's and 2 runs out of the 2-spot in the batting lineup.

The Wildcats will now await official word on their round one matchup for the upcoming NEAC Tournament. Regular season standings and seeding information is included below:

South Regular Season Standings

1. PS Berks 18-2
2. PS Abington 15-5
3. Wilson 11-9
4. LBC 7-12
5. Gallaudet 5-15
6. St. Es 3-16

North Regular Season Standings

1. SUNY Cobleskill 16-4 (Host)
2. Keuka/SUNYIT 14-4 (see below tie breaking procedures)
3.  
4. Cazenovia 8-10
5. Morrisville 3-17
6. Wells 1-17

Tie Breaking Procedures:

• IV.D.3.a - head-to-head: they split both double headers with 2 win and 2 losses each.
• IV.D.3.b - comparison of results of conference games played against the other conference teams in order of final season standings.
  • o Keuka - against conference opponents 10-2
    • § Split with Cobleskill 2W-2L
    • § Defeated Cazenovia twice - didn't get in the second double header.
    • § Defeated Morrisville 4 times.
    • § Defeated Wells 4 times.
    • o SUNYIT - against conference opponents 10-2
      • § Spilt with Cobleskill 2W-2L.
      • § Defeated Cazenovia 4 times.
      • § Defeated Morrisville 4 times.
      • § Defeated Wells twice - didn't get in the second double header.
      • o Teams have same record against conference opponents.
• IV.D.3.c - comparison on "scoring differential" with cap of 8 runs.
  • o Keuka won to SUNYIT on 4/25 +3, lost to SUNYIT on 4/25 -8, won to SUNYIT on 4/27 +4, lost to SUNYIT on 4/27 -1 = total is -2
  • o SUNYIT lost to Keuka on 4/25 -3, won to Keuka on 4/25 +8, lost to Keuka on 4/27 -4, beat Keuka on 4/27 +1 = total is 2
  • o SUNYIT receives the #2 seed and Keuka receives the #3 seed for post season play.

Post Season Tournament Seeding:

South

1. PS Berks
2. PS Abington
3. WIlson

North

1. SUNY Cobleskill (HOST)
2. SUNYIT
3. Keuka