UTICA, NY (April 9, 2009) - The Utica College softball team (11-9) split a double header against visiting Hamilton College (4-12) Thursday afternoon at Greenman field. The Pioneers won game one, 5-4, before falling in extra innings, 3-2, in the night cap. Senior Andrea Curley (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) and sophomore Kim Martin (Prospect, N.Y.) each tallied four hits a piece over the course of two games for the Pioneers.

Martin led the way for UC in game one after going 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and one RBI. Sophomore hurler Kristin Levin (Clifton Park, N.Y.) pitched a complete-game and struck out six to earn the game one victory. The Pioneers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning after freshman two-sport athlete Rebecca Corsones (Hurley, N.Y.) led off the inning with her first career solo home run. UC then took advantage of four Hamilton errors to tack on its second run of the inning.

After Hamilton cut the UC lead to 3-2 in the top half of the fourth inning, the Pioneers went right back to work scoring two runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Martin ripped an RBI triple, followed by Claire Gerlach's (Williamsville, N.Y.) RBI single, scoring Martin, to give UC a commanding 5-2 lead. UC almost gave the game up in the top of the seventh after allowing an RBI single, followed by senior short stop Kourtney Kupiec's two consecutive errors. However, the Pioneers were able to close the door when Kupiec redeemed herself by fielding Leigh Sherrow's (Hauppauge, N.Y.) ground ball cleanly and converting on the fielder's choice, force out, at second base for the final out of the game.

In game two, the score was knotted at 1-1 headed into extra innings until Hamilton's Leigh Sherrow ripped an RBI double, followed by Amber O'Connor's (Pembroke, Ontario) RBI single to give the Continentals a 3-1 lead headed into the bottom of the eighth. UC mustered one run in the bottom of half of the eighth but they could not complete the comeback and lost 3-2.

UC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in game two when Andrea Curley hit an RBI single to score Kim Martin for the Pioneers only run of the first seven innings. Hamilton junior outfield Rachel Rapoza (Barrington, RI) drove in the equalizer, when she ripped an RBI single, to tie the score at 1-1 in the top of the third inning.

Andrea Curley and Hamilton pitcher Mandy Hyne (Weatogue, CT) both bent, but did not break, and the score remained tied at 1-1 headed into the eighth inning. Hyne gave up just one earned run on the evening and struck out two batters, while Curley surrendered eight hits and struck out five for UC. Curley also ripped two doubles, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, in game two.

The Pioneers return to action Friday when they host Nazareth College for an Empire 8 Conference contest at 3:30 p.m. Hamilton is set to host its home-opener Friday against NESCAC Conference rival Middlebury College at 5 p.m.

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