Utica, NY (5/1/14)- The Utica College softball team travels to Ithaca College this weekend for the 2014 Empire 8 Conference Tournament.
 
TOURNAMENT INFO: The Pioneers, who are making their second straight Empire 8 Tournament appearance, will take on top-seeded Ithaca College in their opening game on Friday at 12 p.m… The loser of the first game will play the loser of the No. 2 Stevens-No. 3 Alfred game (10 a.m.) in the elimination round at 2 p.m… The winner of Ithaca-Utica will meet the winner of Stevens-Alfred at 4 p.m. on Friday… Live Stats and video for all games will be provided by Ithaca College… Links to game coverage are available on the softball schedule page at ucpioneers.com… Fans can also check out the tournament webpage (HERE) for updated coverage of the weekend.
 
TICKET INFORMATION: All fans must purchase a ticket for each day… Admission prices are $4 for the general public, $2 for students/faculty & staff with ID as well as senior citizens/youth, and children under 12 are free of charge. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica lost the first game of its Empire 8 double-header, 2-0, against Alfred on Monday… Facing elimination from the E8 Conference Tournament, the Pioneers won the second game thanks to a 2-0 Erica Colucci (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) no-hitter that helped UC slide into the fourth and final seed for the tournament… Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) drove in both Utica runs with her double in the first inning and Colucci was lights on in the circle to preserve the victory… Freshman Kassidy Ogren (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) was 3-for-6 on the day, while Taylor Ellis (Willet, NY/Greene) was 2-for-4.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE: The Pioneers currently hold a 21-10 record overall and finished the Empire 8 Conference schedule with a 6-6 mark after splitting every double-header in league play…  As a team, UC ranks 11th nationally and first in the conference with 2.14 doubles per game… The Pioneers are also 37th in the country and second in the E8 with a .347 batting average… Sophomore Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) had a 17-game hitting streak that lasted from March 19 to April 19… Senior Chelsea Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) has had a hit in 15 of her last 16 games… The sophomore pitching duo of Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) and Erica Colucci (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) has combined for a 2.58 ERA… Monroe is 12-7 with 80 strikeouts, while Colucci is 9-3 and pitched her first collegiate no-hitter on Monday… This is the second straight year and fourth time in program history that UC has made it to the E8 tournament. 
 
MATAN FINISHING STRONG: Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) is having an impressive senior campaign… She leads the conference and ranks third nationally with .59 doubles per game… She is also first in the conference and 27th in the nation with a .489 batting average… Matan also leads the conference in slugging percentage (.826) and on base percentage (.489)… This year, she set a new single-season record for doubles (17) and needs just four more to tie 2013 graduate Bridgette Plummer (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) for first all-time. 
 
HELPING OUT: Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) is second on the squad and seventh in the conference with a .398 batting average… She also leads the team and is tied for second in the E8 with five home runs… Chelsea Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) leads the conference in runs per game (1.07) and she is second in stolen bases (10)… Junior Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) is third on the team with a .372 average, while sophomore Cassie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) is fourth (.364). 
 
SCOUTING ITHACA: The Bombers earned the top seed and hosting rights for the tournament after going 21-11 overall and 8-4 in the conference… Ithaca lost one game each to Utica, Elmira, St. John Fisher, and Alfred… Ithaca is making its 13th appearance in the conference tournament following a one-year hiatus last season… The Bombers are the only team in this year's field to have won an E8 title… Ithaca is led by sophomore Casey Gavin, who has a .407 batting average… Utica is 3-1 against the Bombers in the last two years. 
 
SCOUTING STEVENS: The Ducks tied Ithaca with an 8-4 mark in league play, however since Stevens lost to Ithaca in both meetings this year, the Bombers took the No. 1 seed in the tiebreaker… Stevens is led by junior Jamie DeGennaro, who has a team-best .396 average at the plate… Senior Kayla Berardi leads the conference with a .96 ERA and 133 strikeouts… Utica split its series at Stevens this year, dropping the first game 6-1, before winning the second game 5-4 in extra innings. 
 
SCOUTING ALFRED: The Saxons (24-8) picked up the No. 3 seed with a 7-5 mark in conference play… Sophomore Nicole Maher leads the team with 40 hits and has a .392 average… Alfred ranks ninth in the nation with a .372 team batting average… Utica split its series against the Saxons on Monday, losing 2-0 in game one and bouncing back with a 2-0 victory of its own in the second game. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of the Empire 8 Conference tournament receives an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament.  


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