UTICA, NY (April 30, 2009) - The Utica College softball team (16-22) came from behind in both games as they upended regional power RPI (21-10) to close out the 2009 season for the Pioneers at Greenman Field Thursday afternoon. RPI looked to have command of game one after scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 6-3 lead, but the Pioneers rallied in the bottom half of the extra frame and Kim Martin (Prospect, NY) ripped a three RBI, walk-off, triple to lift the Pioneers to a 7-6 victory. After six innings in game two the contest was knotted at 4-4 before senior utility player Andrea Curley (South Glens Falls, NY) lined the game-winning, bases loaded, single to score sophomore Kristin Levin (Clifton Park, NY) and give the Pioneers their second straight one run victory, 5-4. Martin finished the day going 6-for-9 at the dish with four RBIs to pace the Pioneers.

After five scoreless innings in game one the Red Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top half of the sixth inning behind four hits, including an RBI double from the bat of sophomore Jen Bach (Lansdale, PA). The Pioneers answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the RPI lead to one, 3-2. Katie Pitcher (Maybrook, NY) hit an RBI double, followed by Angel Donaghue's (Cortlandt Manor, NY) pinch-hit, RBI, single and the Pioneers headed into the final stanza down by just one run.

Senior Andrea Curley held the Red Hawks scoreless in the top half of the seventh and the Pioneers needed to rally in the bottom half to keep the contest alive. Senior Abby Drew (South Glens Falls, NY) provided the much need spark for the Pioneers by roping an RBI single to left field, scoring Claire Gerlach (Williamsville, NY), to send the contest into extra innings.

Freshman Sara Heller (Guilderland, NY) hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth to give RPI a one run lead. Senior captain Julianne Bass (Costa Mesa, CA) followed with an RBI double to give RPI a two run lead, 5-3, with one out in the eighth. Curley would walk one more run in before getting a strike out and a ground out to end the inning with the Red Hawks up by three runs.

The Pioneers used one walk, one hit and two consecutive errors in the bottom of the eighth to score four runs, capped by Martins game-winning, three RBI, triple as Utica stole game one 7-6 in extra innings.

Game two proved to be another tight battle with the Pioneers striking first by scoring three runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Abby Drew lined a two RBI double to lift the Pioneers to a 3-0 lead mid way through the contest.

RPI answered in the top of the fourth with two runs, including a towering home run from Bach and an RBI single to center field from freshman Samantha Paulding (Baldwinsville, NY) to cut the Pioneers lead to 3-2 with three and a half innings to play. The Red Hawks tacked on a combined two runs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-3 lead into the bottom half of the sixth. Kim Martin came through in the clutch once again for the Pioneers by driving home Angel Donaghue with an RBI single to knot the contest at 4-4 headed into the final inning of regulation.

RPI threatened by loading the bases in the top of the seventh but they came out of the inning empty handed as sophomore pitcher Kristin Levin bent, but would not break, to give the Pioneers a chance for their second straight come from behind victory in as many games.

The Pioneers did just that by loading the bases after Levin singled, followed by Abby Drew and Rinae Olsen (Schenectady, NY), who both reached by way of four balls each before Curley hit the game-winning single to give the Pioneers a one run victory, 5-4.

RPI sophomore hurler Felicia Bua (Gilford, NH) totaled six strikeouts in game two, while Levin added three K's in her ninth victory of the season.

With the pair of win the Pioneers wrap up the season with a 16-22 overall record. 16 wins is tied for sixth most in program-history. Head Coach Pat Mineo wraps up his fifth season as the Pioneer's field general and he now has 88 career victories. After two wins today Mineo now sits alone as the College's all-time winningest softball coach, surpassing former skipper Dave Fontaine, who totaled 86 wins in seven seasons at the helm of the program.

The Red Hawks have now lost four straight games and they have six Liberty League contests remaining on their schedule. RPI remains on the road Friday when they travel to conference foe Union College to take on the Dutchwomen at 3 p.m.

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