UTICA, N.Y. - The season opened up for the SUNY Poly softball team on Saturday with a bang. The Wildcats bats came out swinging, scoring 14 runs on 15 hits to give the 'Cats their first win off the 2021 season. Game two would not go the same way for the Wildcats as eight hits only created one run for the offense while the pitching and defense could not keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard. The Wildcats lost game two 9-1 to finish up the afternoon with a split.
GAME #1
In game one, the Wildcats opened up with a run in the first on a fielder's choice RBI by Jordan Penoyer (Sherrill, N.Y.). In the second the Wildcats would take a 6-0 lead on a pair of RBI singles by Chalee Wratten (Brookfield, N.Y.) and Amy DeSena (Pine Bush, N.Y.) and a big three-RBI triple by Ariel Smith (Brainerd, Minn.). But a five-run, inning for Utica in the bottom of the second shrank the once large Wildcat lead to one. Utica would tie the game in the third, but SUNY Poly would answer with dominant frames in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take a commanding 14-6 lead into the final two frames. Despite some Utica runs in the sixth and seventh innings, the Wildcats closed out the game to earn their first win of the season.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Caitlin Reilly (Whitesboro, N.Y.) threw a complete game for the Wildcats to earn her first win of the season and the first of her career. She struck out 10 batters.
- Ariel Smith went 4-5 in the game with a double, a triple, and a pair of singles. She had a game-high five RBIs.
- Chalee Wratten went 3-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.
- Makayla Sweeting (Liverpool, N.Y.) went 2-4 with a walk and scored two runs.
GAME #2
The Wildcats struggled to plate run in game two. Despite eight hits, the Wildcats scored just one run, losing to Utica 9-1. The Wildcats lone run was scored in the top of the fifth on an Ariel Smith RBI single that drove in Makayla Sweeting. Jordan Penoyer was the pitcher of record for the Wildcats in game two. She is now 0-1 this season.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Ariel Smith had another monster game at the plate going 3-3 with a double and her team's lone RBI.
- Jordan Penoyer swung it well in game two, going 2-3 at the plate.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will travel to Cazenovia on Thursday, April 1st to take on the Wildcats in North Atlantic Conference play. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for a 3:00 PM first pitch.
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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.