Utica, NY - The Utica College softball team dropped both games in Wednesday's doubleheader to Russell Sage. Game one ended with Sage coming away with a 14-6 win after six innings before the Gators pulled off a 6-4 comeback win in the 9th inning of game two.
Game 1
After starting pitcher Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) retired the side in order in the top of the 1st inning, UC took an early 2-0 lead in the home half. Sara Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) singled home Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) before Megan O'Keefe (Albany, NY/Bethlehem Central) brought Stransky home on an RBI double to right field.
Sage answered back by putting across four runs in the 2nd inning, all coming with two outs, before scoring four more in the 3rd inning to pull ahead 8-2. However, the Pioneers would not be silenced as they answered back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the 3rd.
With one away in the inning, Stransky pieced a triple to left which brought home Julia Phelps (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa High School) and Bailey McElwain (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker High School) to close the gap to 8-4. O'Keefe stepped into the box following the triple and blasted a two-run home run to left center field to make it an 8-6 game in favor of Sage.
Those would be the final runs scored for Utica as Sage pulled away from there by scoring six runs combined between the 4th and 6th inning to extend its lead to 14-6. UC was blanked in the bottom of the 6th inning which ended the game as a result of the eight run rule after five innings.
Stransky finished game one 3-for-3 at the plate while driving in three runs. O'Keefe also finished with three RBIs while going 2-for-3 at the dish. Brooke Catlin (Brewerton, NY/Central Square High School) recorded a pair of hits in the losing effort as well.
Game 2
With both teams held scoreless in the 1st inning, Sage found the board first on a solo home run to center field. A pair of RBI singles by the Gators in the 3rd inning put UC in a 3-0 deficit until the offense found its rhythm in the bottom of the 4th inning. Catlin stepped up with the bases juiced and smacked a single into left field which scored Joss from third while Stransky was cut down at home on the outfield assist. Adrian Duvall (Lisbon, NY/Lisbon Central School) stepped up next and scored Madison Akots (Wynantskill, NY/Emma Willard School) from third on a single to center to close the Gators lead to 3-2.
In the 5th inning the Pioneers took its first lead since the 1st inning of game one. O'Keefe worked an RBI walk to even the game before Joss touched home on an RBI sacrifice fly by Akots to give UC a 4-3 advantage.
Conte, who tossed all nine innings in the game, set Sage down in order in the 6th inning while Utica was denied insurance runs in the home half as the team carried its 4-3 lead into the 7th inning.
Down to their last out with a runner on first base, Sage's leading hitter, Arianna Papas, connected for a double to left field to put runners on second and third with two away. The next batter, Taylor Dicranian, singled to left field to bring the tying run home. A groundout to short ended the top half while the Pioneers had an opportunity to walk the game off in the bottom half.
Joss gave Utica a chance with a one out double to right center field but was stranded after Stransky and O'Keefe were set down to force extra innings. Conte retired the side in order in the top of the 8th inning while the Pioneers once again had a chance to end the game in the bottom half. With two outs and the bases loaded, McElwain stepped up to the plate. However, a routine fly out to center would send the game into the 9th inning.
The Gators took advantage of a leadoff single as that baserunner would eventually score on an RBI double two batters later to take its first lead since the 5th inning at 5-4. A hard ground ball to shortstop that took a bad hop off the infield lip allowed a runner to come across from third base as the Gators extended its lead to 6-4.
Utica was sent down in order in the bottom of the 9th inning and suffered a heartbreaking 6-4 loss to the second place Gators.
Catlin, Duvall and Phelps all recorded two hits in the game while Catlin and Duvall recorded an RBI each. Joss also came around to score twice for UC. Conte pitched a gutty nine innings as she kept the Pioneers in the game throught its entirety while tallying a total of 11 innings pitched between the two games.
UC (11-11, 6-10 Empire 8) will return to Greenman Field tomorrow, pending weather, when they host Cazenovia in a non conference doubleheader. Game one is set to begin at 3 p.m.
