Utica, NY (4/17/12)- The Utica College softball team returns home Wednesday as it takes on non-conference opponent, University of Rochester.

Game Time: The double-header is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Greenman Field.

Last Time Out: UC is coming off a 1-3 conference weekend at Nazareth and St. John Fisher last weekend… On Saturday, the Pioneers split with Naz winning the first game 4-3, before falling 3-2 in game two...  On Sunday, the Pioneers fell to Fisher 7-0 and 14-3... Freshman Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) totaled five hits and six RBI for the Pioneers while junior Bridgette Plummer (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) was 6-for-12 on the weekend.

Where We Sit: The Pioneers are currently 19-12 overall and 2-6 in the Empire 8 Conference… Ithaca College (15-9 overall, 8-0 E8) sits atop the E8 while Alfred (20-8 overall, 3-1 E8) and Stevens (12-14 overall, 3-1 E8) are tied for second… St. John Fisher (23-7 overall, 5-3 E8) is fourth followed by Utica (19-12 overall, 2-6 E8) in fifth… Nazareth trails in the sixth spot (7-21 overall, 1-7 E8) with Elmira (6-6 overall, 0-4 E8) rounding out the standings in seventh.

Ingalls Honored: Junior Mallory Ingalls (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) was recently named the College's Female Athlete of the Week after compiling a .536 batting average, nine RBI, seven runs scored and two home runs as the Pioneers went 5-3 last week… Ingalls ranks second on the team in home runs (4), RBI (19), and runs scored (24)… She also ranks fourth on the team with a .324 batting average and is third with a .505 slugging percentage.

Hot Hitting: Seven different Pioneers have a batting average above .300… Junior Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) leads the team with a .470 average and 15 stolen bases… Fitzgerald is second on the team batting .361 while leading the team with 27 RBI and five home runs…  Freshman Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) is third on the team with a .354 batting average and is a perfect 9-for-9 on steal attempts.

On the Mound: Senior Heather Kingsbury (Williamson, NY/Williamson) leads the team with ten wins on the season… She has compiled a 2.94 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched for the Pioneers… Freshman Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) is 4-4 on the season with a 3.27 ERA and 35 strikeouts, while classmate Cassidy Thompson (Bend, OR/West Valley) is 2-1 with a team-leading 2.69 ERA, 18 strikeouts, and six saves… Senior Haley Butler (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) has compiled a 3-3 record and a 2.92 ERA… Butler also has a .264 batting average and one stolen base.

Scouting Rochester: The Yellow Jackets are currently 19-10 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty League Conference... They are fresh off a 3-1 weekend in which they beat Skidmore 15-3 and 2-0 on Saturday,  and split with St. Lawrence, losing the first game 5-4 and winning the second game 7-6... The Pioneers are 2-6 against Rochester dating back to 2004.

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers return to action Sunday as they host Alfred University for a key Empire 8 contest… The double header is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.


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