UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team is set for a busy week of Empire 8 Conference matchups. The team will first take on the Hartwick College Hawks in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 15 with game one beginning at 4pm. The team will then hit the road to take on the Russell Sage College Gators on Wednesday, April 16 with game one beginning at 3pm. The team will then return home to take on the Alfred University Saxons on Friday, April 18 beginning at 3pm, before honoring the team's seniors on Saturday, April 19 as the team takes on Houghton University beginning at 1pm.
 
Follow Along: Live video for Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday's matchups can be found here, and live stats can be found here. Live video for Wednesday's matchup can be found here, and live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University softball team took both games of its series against the Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Brockport on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers took game one in decisive fashion 10-3 and rallied from behind to force extras in game two and came away with the win 13-8. The Pioneers excelled at the plate in game one, registering 15 hits. A pair of Pioneers in Meghan Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) and Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) each put bat to ball three times, while Brooke Beleza (Amherstview, Ontario/Jefferson Community College), Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs), Abigail Sacks (Colonie, NY/Colonie), and Taylor Kraft (Loudonville, NY/Shaker) each knocked two. Sacks and Kraft each added two RBIs to their stat lines, while Sacks was patient at the plate drawing a pair of walks. Following up her impressive performance yesterday afternoon, Murray nabbed the starting nod in the circle for the Pioneers, dishing her fourth win of the season, giving up three runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts. Utica would put 15 hits on the board again in game two, with Beleza and Little knocking down three each. A trio of Pioneers in Paul, Murray, and Erica Sanford (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) would make contact twice, while Sacks, Kraft, and Alyssa Barbato (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck) would each record a hit. Little, Murray, Sacks, Kraft, and Alexis Scott (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) would each add two RBIs to their stat lines. Maggie Habernig (Kingston, NY/Kingston) would get the starting nod for the Pioneers, dealing two innings, giving up seven runs on six hits, with two strikeouts. Kelly Thornton (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional) would come in relief, pitching six innings, giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts en route to her first win of the season.
 
Senior Day: During Saturday's doubleheader against Houghton, the team will honor its nine seniors. Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland), Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester), Brooke Beleza (Amherstview, Ontario/Jefferson Community College), Taylor Kraft (Loudonville, NY/Shaker), Kelly Thornton (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional), Alyssa Barbato (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck), Abigail Sacks (Colonie, NY/Colonie), Lucia Gargiulo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) and graduate student Erica Sanford (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) will be honored
 
No More Ms. Nice Ky: Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) was a standout for the Pioneers in a battle with a top conference competitor in SUNY Geneseo. In the first bout of the Saturday series against Geneseo, a team that leads the conference in almost every hitting category, Murray was able to deal her first career no-hitter for the Pioneers. Throwing only 55 pitches, Murray struck out six of 16 batters she faced, without giving up a walk. With two wins under her belt over the weekend, through her 12 innings pitched, Murray only gave up three runs, with only two being earned, on 11 hits and only one walk between her two complete games. Murray was able to strike out 12 over the weekend, posting an impressive 1.17 ERA between the two outings. 

Rae Rae on the Beat: Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) was fantastic at the plate for the Pioneers over the four-game slate this weekend. Through four games, Little went 10-16 at the plate, with two doubles and four RBIs. In the first bout against Geneseo, Little was a perfect 3-3 with an RBI double, and scoring three runs. In the second game against Brockport that was forced into extra innings after the Pioneers late comeback would tie the game in the sixth inning, the go-ahead run came off the bat of Little for an RBI single to right field that would begin the five run eighth inning that would lead to the Pioneers to the win. In the contest, Little went 3-5 at the plate with two RBIs, a double, and scoring two runs. 
 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hartwick College Hawks have posted a 6-16 record so far this season and are 1-7 in Empire 8 play. As a team, the Hawks averaged .258 at the plate, with 65 runs coming in off 137 hits. 60 out of those 65 runs have been RBIs. Samantha Moore leads the Hawks at the plate this season, batting .500 across 19 games. Moore leads the team with 24 hits, and RBIs with 17. Moore has been a power hitter as well, with four home runs this season. Nadia Pasucci has also been dominant at the plate, registering a .313 average with 19 hits and nine RBIs. Pitcher Anna Klein, has started 11 games in the circle for Hartwick, logging a 5.39 ERA, giving up 88 hits and 59 runs, with 26 strikeouts. Kylee Cucci has appeared in 17 games, working through three complete games, posting a 6.71 ERA, with 20 strikeouts.
 
A Look at Sage: The Russell Sage College Gators are 7-15 on the year and 3-3 in conference play. Sage has dropped their last two games losing to Manhattanville 9-3 and 17-2. The Gators have a combined .291 team batting average and a total of 90 runs on the year in 22 games played. The Gators have been outscored by almost 40 runs this season. Annalise Tyler is currently leading the team at the plate with a .408 batting average through 71 at-bats. Bella Julien is up there with Tyler, holding a .397 batting average through her 68 at-bats. Leah Madore has been the ace for the Gators, appearing in 14 games with a 5-5 record through her 10 starts, and posting a 3.52 ERA with 71 strikeouts. Following is Alina Ferguson with a 7.52 ERA though nine appearances with 21 strikeouts. The Gators are 9-8 all-time against the Pioneers, with the Gators dropping the last matchup 9-1. 
 
Breaking Down Alfred: The Alfred University Saxons are 17-5 on the season thus far and are 8-2 in conference play. Alfred won their last two games against Hartwick 8-0 and 9-1. The Saxons have combined for a .383 batting average as a team and a total of 180 runs in 22 games played. Molly Whitmyer currently leads the team with a .500 batting average through 64 at-bats. Whitmyer leads the team with 32 hits and RBIs with 29. Jessica Remm is not far behind with a .484 batting average. Remm leads the team in runs scored with 31, doubles with eight, and triples with four. Loretta Sorochty has started 17 games in the circle for the Saxons, posting a 4.20 ERA. Sorochty has given up 30 runs off 60 hits with 13 strikeouts through her starts. Doing most of the dealing as a relief pitcher, appearing in 16 games with two starts is Kendall Steward, who has posted an impressive 2.54 ERA, giving up a total of 34 runs off of 74 hits with a staggering 68 strikeouts. Last season, the Pioneers squared off against Sage in a doubleheader that resulted in a split with Sage taking game one 3-2, and Utica taking game two 9-1. 
 
Looking at Houghton: The Houghton University Highlanders are 6-16 on the season and are 1-7 in conference play. Houghton split their last two matchups against Hartwick, winning 4-3 and losing in game two 13-3. Houghton is batting .240 as a team with a total of 86 runs scored in 22 games played. Olivia Carr leads the team with a .340 batting average after only appearing in 20 of 22 games. Kareena Ulfig has posted a .333 batting average and leads the team in hits with 20. Ulfig, also a pitcher, has been the ace for Houghton, starting in 10 games, posting a 7.49 ERA, giving up 77 runs off 103 hits with 30 strikeouts. Carr, also a pitcher, has posted an 8.09 ERA this season, giving up 55 runs off of 73 hits with 24 strikeouts. Houghton has a 4-18 all-time record against the Pioneers, with the Highlanders losing the last game 9-1. 
 
Up Next: The team remains home to take on cross town rival and Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Poly in a doubleheader. The first pitch of game one from Greenman Softball Field on Tuesday, April 22 is set for 3pm.