Box Score UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team and the Cazenovia College Wildcats were able to get one of two scheduled games in on Monday afternoon which resulted in a 3-1 Utica victory. 
 
Utica 3, Cazenovia 1
 
Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) and Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark) led the Pioneers with two hits apiece, Zulager did so with an RBI and run scored. Abbigayle Finch (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) came through with the eventual game-winning two-RBI single in the bottom of the 4th as part of a 1-for-3 performance. 
 
In the circle, Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) earned her third win of the season after going six strong innings allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Lucia Gargiulo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) picked up the save with a scoreless 7th inning allowing just one hit. 
 
Two batters into the game, Cazenovia jumped out to a 1-0 lead with an opposite field home run by Madison Cieslak. From there, Conte was nearly untouchable. 
 
She gave up one more hit in the inning but retired the next two batters to get out of the frame with minimal damage. Utica could not produce any runs through the first three innings of play while Conte kept the Wildcats off the board as well as the senior allowed one baserunner per inning from the 2nd through 4th. 
 
The Pioneers went on to strike in the home half of the 4th. With one out and the bases loaded, Finch drove an 0-1 pitch to the center field fence to bring home Abigail Sacks (Colonie, NY/Colonie) from third and Zulager from second. Utica left two runners on base following Finch's two-RBI single but carried its 2-1 lead into the 5th. 
 
Conte set down the Cazenovia lineup down in order in the top half while an RBI double by Zulager to right center field gave Utica an insurance run going into the 6th. 
 
The Wildcats threatened late in the inning with the bases loaded and two outs. However, Conte induced a groundout to Cassidy Doiron (Beacon Falls, CT/Woodland Regional) at first base to close the frame with the team's 3-1 lead still intact. 
 
Utica went down silent in the home half of the inning while Gargiulo was called upon to close the game. After allowing a leadoff single, the sophomore forced two straight groundouts followed by a flyout to earn her first save of the season and Utica's eighth win through 10 games. 
 
Game 2: Called due to rain entering bottom of the 2nd. 
 
Utica (8-2, 0-0 Empire 8) will take on SUNY Poly on Wednesday with game one set for 3 p.m.