AURORA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly softball team earned two wins over NEAC foe Wells College on Thursday to improve to 5-3 in Conference play. The Wildcats and the Express played a tight game one with the Wildcats earning a two-run win. Game two was a different story as the Wildcat offense came to life, forcing a five-inning mercy rule to complete the sweep. Taylor Hines (Mechanicville, N.Y.) had a memorable day, recording her 100th career hit in the game.

MILESTONE REACHED:

Taylor Hines joined an exclusive club at SUNY Poly. She recorded her 100th hit of her career in game one of the doubleheader. The milestone hit was a single to left field in the top of the seventh inning. Hines has had a great career for the Wildcats. In 112 games played, she has a .313 career average with 11 extra base hits, 56 RBIs and 44 runs scored.

GAME ONE:

The Wildcats earned a 4-2 win in game one of the series with Wells. SUNY Poly struck first, scoring a run in the top of the third inning on a Bailee Haddad (Frankfort, N.Y.) RBI single down the left field line that scored Chalee Wratten (Brookfield, N.Y.). The 'Cats would take a 2-0 lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Bailey Wood (Preston Hollow, N.Y.) and would extend the lead to four in the sixth on a Kali Maggiolino (Whitesboro, N.Y.) home run and a Melissa Barber (Nassau, N.Y.) RBI triple. Wells would make a run at it in the sixth and seventh scoring one run in each inning, but the four-run lead was enough for Kayla Maiolo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who earned her fourth win of the season on the mound.

NOTABLES:

• Taylor Hines recorded her 100th career hit in the seventh inning of game one. The senior went 1-4.

• Kayla Maiolo threw a solid game for the Wildcats. She struck out five batters and allowed four hits in seven innings. She is now 4-5 this season for SUNY Poly.

• Kali Maggiolino hit her first career home run in the sixth inning of the game. She went 1-2 with a walk.

• Melissa Barber went 2-3 with a triple, a single, and an RBI in the game. She also scored a run.

• Bailee Haddad went 2-4 with an RBI in the win.

• Jordan Penoyer (Sherrill, N.Y.) had a pair of hits in the game, including a double.

• Naomi Kubo was on the losing end of the pitching decision. She threw four innings, allowed a run, struck out two batters and walked two. Kubo also drove in one of the Express's two runs on a double in the seventh.

• Jenna Devora drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. She went 1-1 in the game.

GAME TWO:

Game two was a Wildcat blowout that ended in a 10-1 mercy rule in the fifth inning. The Wildcats had 10 hits in the game, scored 10 runs, and made no errors in the field. The Wildcats had two hitters with three hits in the game and had two batters with multiple RBIs. The top of the fifth inning was what put the game away for SUNY Poly. They scored five runs to enact the mercy rule. The final score was 10-1.

NOTABLES:

• Jordan Penoyer and Ashleigh Johnson (Seneca Falls, N.Y.) combined for a three-hitter in the game. The lone run for wells scored in the bottom of the fifth inning.

• Melissa Barber had a great game for the Wildcats. She went 3-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. She also drew a walk in the game.

• Taylor Hines also had three hits in the game. She went 3-4 with two runs scored.

• Courtney Morton (Whitesboro, N.Y.) drove in two runs on one hit in the game. She also scored a run.

• Michaela Costello (Frankfort, N.Y.) had an RBI in the game. She went 1-3.

• Naiomi Kubo had the only RBI for the Wells College Express. She went 1-2 with a walk. Kubo was also the losing pitcher. She threw four and ⅔ innings and allowed five earned runs.

• Ellie Schwoebel went 1-2 with a run scored for Wells.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will host a pair of doubleheaders this weekend. The 'Cats will open the weekend with a doubleheader against Penn State Berks on Saturday, April 13th at 12:00 PM. The Wildcats will host Penn State Abington at 9:30 AM on Sunday to wrap up a four-game NEAC weekend. Both doubleheaders will be played at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.