Utica, NY - After sweeping Elmira on Friday and dropping a pair on the road to Keuka on Saturday, the Utica College softball team is set to return home for all six games this week. On April 28 the team will host second place Russell Sage for a doubleheader followed by doubleheaders against Cazenovia on April 29 and Houghton on May 1. Game one against both Sage and Cazenovia will start at 3 p.m. while game one against Houghton will be at 1 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Fans can keep up with live stats during all six games by following https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.           
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers dropped a pair on the road to Keuka on Saturday. Game one eventually went to the 10th inning before it was decided on a Keuka walk-off single to take the game 4-3. In game two UC outhit Keuka 15-11 however, the team went on to fall again 10-7. Brooke Catlin (Brewerton, NY/Central Square High School) went a combined 4-for-8 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Abbigayle Finch (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) had a nice day at the dish as well, going 5-for-7 with three RBIs.
 
Season Outlook: UC is 11-9 (6-8 Empire 8) on the season and currently holds fourth place in the Empire 8. They own the fourth best team batting average in the conference (.330) while averaging just over six runs per game over its 20 games. Madison Akots (Wynantskill, NY/Emma Willard School) has caught fire as of late as she's recorded a hit in nine of her last 15 at-bats and now leads the team with a .448 average. Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) and Sara Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) have been consistent threats at the plate all season for the Pioneers as well. Joss has hit .419 in 20 games while posting team highs with 17 RBIs, 13 walks and a .513 on-base percentage. Stransky owns a .394 batting average while riding a modest five-game hitting streak into the week. She's tallied 33 total bases this season while swiping seven bases in seven tries. The pitching staff owns a 5.04 ERA in 126.2 innings while Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) has tossed 78.2 innings to go with a 7-6 record and a 4.69 ERA. Gabriella Caccamo (Suffern, NY/Suffern) is also back in the rotation as she is 3-0 in five starts and seven total appearances on the season while posting a 3.91 ERA. 
 
Scouting Sage: The Gators enter Wednesday 12-2 (12-2 Empire 8) and are currently second place in the conference. They took both games against UC on April 3 in Albany with a 6-5 win in game one and a 10-9 win in a 10-inning game two. They've hit .329 as a team through 14 games while averaging 6.7 runs per game. They have yet to lose a game on the road this season as they are 6-0 away from Albany. Arianna Papas is carrying a .544 batting average into the week to go along with three long balls while teammate Taylor Dicranian enters the week hitting .537 with 15 RBIs in 54 at-bats. Dicranian is also the ace in the circle as she is 10-1 this season with a 3.05 ERA while pitching in all 14 games and starting nine of them.
 
A Look at Caz: The Wildcats are 11-5 (7-2 NAC) on the season while coming off a series split with SUNY Poly on April 26. The team owns a .314 batting average while pushing access nearly six runs per game. Caitlin and Lauren Kelleher lead the team at the dish as Caitlin is batting .462 with one home run and 13 RBIs while Lauren owns a .415 batting average to go with nine RBIs. Lauren has also started a team high seven games in the circle, owning a 5-2 record with a 1.59 ERA in 44 innings to go along with a 4/1 K/BB ratio. As a team Cazenovia has posted a 2.67 ERA, second in the NAC, in 16 games. 
 
Highlighting the Highlanders: Houghton enters the week 5-19 (4-12 Empire 8) and will play four games prior to meeting UC on May 1. This will also be the first matchup between the two teams this season. The team is seventh in the E8 with a .250 batting average and is led by Caitlyn Cybart who owns a .367 batting average. The Highlanders have hit four home runs this season, all by Grace Thompson, while she also boasts a .347 batting average with 19 RBIs. In the circle, the team has posted a 5.08 ERA while Kayla Looms has started 17 of the team's 24 games. Loomis (4-15, 4.39 ERA) has gone the distance 11 times while tossing 119.2 of the Highlanders' 157 defensive innings. 

Up Next: UC will conclude its regular season on May 5 when the team travels to Elmira College for a makeup doubleheader that was moved from April 21. Game one will begin at 3 p.m.