UTICA, NY- The Utica College softball team returns to action Wednesday as it travels to nearby Clinton, NY to take on local rival, Hamilton College.  The first pitch of the double-header is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers are coming off a pair of conference sweeps last weekend… UC picked up two big wins against defending conference champion, Alfred University on Friday, winning 4-1 and 3-1… Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) went 3-for-5 on the day with two runs and two doubles, while senior Stephanie Siriano (Sauquoit, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) went 3-for-7 with one run scored and two key RBIs to propel the Pioneers to victory in game one… The Pioneers carried that momentum into Saturday, downing Houghton College 12-2 and 9-1 in a pair of run-rule victories… Senior shortstop Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) was a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate with five runs scored, three RBIs, four stolen bases and a leadoff home run in game two… Senior Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) and sophomore Brittany Meka (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) each picked up two wins on the weekend, while freshman Shannon Cool (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) recorded her fourth save of the year.
 
RUSSELL CONTINUES STRONG PLAY: Senior Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) was named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week on Monday for the second straight week and third time in the last four weeks… Russell extended her hitting streak to ten games as she batted .650 (13-for-20) including two home runs in six games last week...  With seven stolen bases on the week, she set a new program single-season steals record with 20 so far this year...  Russell also moved into first place on the College's all-time list as she now has 128 career runs scored and she is just the fourth player in program-history to record 100 or more career RBIs.
 
HELPING OUT: Freshman Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) is currently second on the team with a .340 batting average… She leads the squad with 10 doubles and 18 RBIs… Senior Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) is third on the team with a .333 average at the plate while classmate Cassie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) is right behind her with a .280 average and her 16 RBIs rank second on the team.
 
FREE BASES: Sophomore Dominique Soto (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) is tied for third in the conference with 14 walks and she ranks third on the squad with a .426 on base percentage… Senior Stephanie Siriano (Sauquoit, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) is second on the team with a career-high 13 steals and she has totaled seven stolen bases in the last six games.
 
IN THE CIRCLE: Senior Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) is second in the conference with a 1.47 ERA and 90 strikeouts… She needs just four more strikeouts to match her career-high of 94, which she reached as a freshman in 2013 en route to UC's NCAA Tournament appearance… Sophomore Brittany Meka (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) is seventh in the E8 with a 2.68 ERA and she owns a 6-2 record… Freshman Shannon Cool (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) leads the league with four saves, and sophomore Sabrina Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) has collected a 2.86 ERA in seven appearances. 
 
SCOUTING HAMILTON: The Continentals are currently 10-16 overall and 3-6 in the NESCAC… Hamilton split with Williams on Saturday and will take on Oswego State on Tuesday before facing the Pioneers Wednesday evening…  Hamilton has seven players batting over .300, led by Olivia Gozdz, who has a .382 average and two home runs.
 
AGAINST THE CONTINENTALS: Utica is 10-0 against Hamilton in the last five years… Last year, the Pioneers earned a pair of one-run victories, winning 6-5 and 3-2… Senior Stephanie Siriano (Sauquoit, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) drove in the game-winning run in both games to pace UC... Siriano finished the day going 3-for-6 with six RBIs, two runs scored, and one home run.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers return to conference play on Saturday as they host Elmira College in the final home contests of the regular season… Game one is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.