CAZENOVIA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly softball team dropped two games to Cazenovia on Wednesday in their first two North Atlantic Conference (NAC) games of the season. The Wildcat offense struggled to get going and was unable to give the run support needed to earn a win. The score of the first game was 5-1. The second game was 8-0.
GAME 1:
The first two frames of game one were cleanly played by both teams. Cazenovia struck first in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Caila Benning. An error in right field allowed the second run to score and a fielder's choice scored run number three. Cazenovia would strike again in the fifth adding two more runs on an RBI base hit by Caila Benning and a sacrifice fly by Caitlin Kelleher. SUNY Poly would score their lone run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Ariel Smith (Brainerd, Minn.).
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Ariel Smith went 3-3 with a solo home run for the Wildcats. It was her first homer of the season.
- Madison Ortiz (New York, N.Y.) went 2-3 with a pair of singles.
- Caitlin Reilly (Whitesboro, N.Y.) was the Wildcats pitcher of record. She struck out four in six innings of work.
- Caila Benning led Cazenovia with a pair of hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
- Sierra Amo also had a pair of hits for Cazenovia.
- Lauren Kelleher improved to 2-1 in the circle. She struck out five in seven innings of work.
GAME 2:
The Wildcats managed just four hits in the second game and were unable to score a run in what was an 8-0 loss. Cazenovia got some very solid performances from the top of their order. The top four hitters recorded 10 of their 14 hits.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Ariel Smith went 2-3 with a double in the game. She was the only Wildcat with multiple hits in the game. She has been nothing short of dominant at the plate, hitting a staggering .857 with a slugging percentage of 1.429 and a team-best seven RBIs.
- Jordan Penoyer (Sherrill, N.Y.) was on the losing end of the decision. She pitched 5.1 innings with two strikeouts. She is now 0-2 on the year.
- The top four hitters in the Cazenovia lineup accounted for 10 of the teams 14 hits, and six of their seven RBIs. Caila Benning went 2-4, Lauren Kelleher went 3-4 with two RBIs, Caitlin Kelleher went 3-3 with an RBI, and Megan Krieger went 2-4 with three RBIs.
- Serafina French Earned the win on the mound. She threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts and four walks.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will face-off with SUNY Canton on Saturday, March 17th in Canton. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
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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.