KISSIMMEE, FL – The Utica College softball team went 1-1 on opening day at the Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.  The Pioneers won a thriller in game one as they scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning against Mount St. Joseph to earn a 2-0 victory to open the season.  Stockton University won a high scoring affair in game two, outlasting the Pioneers 14-10. 

UC's Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) posted three hits and four runs scored on the day, while freshman Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) added two hits and three RBIs in her first two games of collegiate softball. Senior Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) posted one hit, two RBIs and two walks for the Pioneers. 

UC's record is 1-1 headed into day two in Kissimmee where they will take on Delaware Valley (9:15 a.m.) and Fredonia (11:30 a.m.). 

Utica 2, Mount St. Joseph 0 - Game One Final

Game one against Mount St. Joseph proved to be a true pitcher's duel as Gabriella Caccamo (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and Kamryn McCool went head to head in the circle. Caccamo opened her sophomore campaign with a dominant complete game three hitter where she posted two strikeouts and surrendered just two walks.


After six scoreless innings, the Pioneers delivered in the top half of the seventh inning to earn the game one victory.  Senior Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) opened the inning with a leadoff single.  Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) came on to pinch run for Rice and was advanced to second by Jackie Aronin.  Freshman Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) then drew a walk and was replaced on the base paths by Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland, NY/Poland) to give the Pioneers runners on first and second with one out. Madison Judge (Albany, NY/Colonie) earned a walk in the next at-bat to load the bases for UC.  Madison Akots (Wynantskill, NY/Emma Willard School) came on in a pinch-hit opportunity and delivered as she reached first on an error that scored Blumenstock and Evans to account for both of the Pioneer runs.  

Two errors in the bottom of the seventh made things interesting, but Caccamo was able to get a line out to right field for the third out of the inning to hand the Pioneers the 2-0 victory. 

Stockton 14, Utica 10 – Game Two Final

Game two featured 27 hits and 24 runs between both teams. A combined 14 runs over the course of three big innings helped Stockton pull away from the Pioneers, ncluding a five-run bottom of the fifth for the Ospreys, that led to a 14-10 victory for Stockton. 

Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) went 3-for-5 with three runs scored for UC, while catcher Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Sara Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored and Hayley Fredericks (Suffern, NY/Suffern) went 2-for-2 with one run scored and three walks. 

UC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings.  Paul drove in her first run of the day in the bottom of the first inning when she delivered an RBI single to left field, scoring Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic).  Stockton tacked on nine runs over the course of the next two innings to take a 9-3 lead into the fourth.  

Paul came through again in the fourth inning as she doubled to score Madison Judge (Albany, NY/Colonie) and Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) to make the score 9-5. Senior Renee Deresh then single to score Paul to pull the Pioneers within three runs, 9-6, at the end of the fourth. 

Utica was able to knot the score at 9-9 in the top of the fifth inning.  Judge reached on a fielder's choice to score Jamie Miller (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) to kick off the fifth inning scoring for UC.  Stransky then singled to third base and scored Evans, before Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) capped the inning's scoring with a walk to score Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls). 

Stockton answered with a five-run fifth inning to earn back a 14-9 lead over the Pioneers.  UC threatened with one run in the top of the seventh via an RBI sacrifice fly from Rice, but the comeback proved to be too late as the Ospreys earned the four-run victory. 

Gabriella Caccamo (Suffern, NY/Suffern) came on in relief in the fifth inning for the Pioneers and struck out one while not adding an earned run to her credit. Jane Field (Waterford, NY/Catholic Central) and Alyssa Samborin (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) each posted two strikeouts on the mound for Utica.