UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team split its final regular season doubleheader against the Russell Sage College Gators on Tuesday evening. The Gators took game one by a score of 7-3, before the Pioneers would take game two by a score of 9-7.
Game One: Sage, 7 Utica 3
Kari Graziano (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) led the Pioneers in the opener with two hits and an RBI, while
Meghan Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) added a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and
Mya Strong (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls),
Kadyn Hartel (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta), and
Lily Mazur (Rome, NY/Westmoreland) each chipped in a hit as Utica totaled six hits in the opener.
Maggie Habernig (Kingston, NY/Kingston) dealt her seventh complete game of the season, allowing seven runs on 10 hits while striking out three.
Russell Sage set the tone immediately, plating three runs in the top of the first on a pair of RBI hits to jump out to an early lead. Utica answered right back in the bottom half, as Paul ripped an RBI double to get the Pioneers on the board before another run came across on a passed ball to cut the deficit to one.
After a quiet second and third inning from both sides, Sage extended its lead in the fourth with an RBI single, making it 4-2. The visitors continued to apply pressure in the fifth, taking advantage of an error and a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-2.
Utica threatened in the middle innings, putting runners on in the fifth, but couldn't come through with the timely hit. Sage broke things open further in the sixth with two more runs on a pair of hits and a wild pitch, stretching the margin to 7-2.
The Pioneers showed life in the seventh, loading the bases and getting an RBI double from Graziano to bring one home, but the rally fell short as Sage held on for the win.
Game Two: Utica, 9 Sage, 7
Mya Strong (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls) turned in a perfect 4-for-4 performance with two RBIs and two runs scored, while
Kari Graziano (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) drove in four runs on a pair of doubles to lead a 13-hit outburst.
Meghan Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) added two hits and an RBI, and
Lila Gray (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill) chipped in two hits and a run driven in as Utica's offense erupted in the nightcap.
Sage again struck first, scoring twice in the opening inning by capitalizing on walks and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead. Utica answered quickly in the bottom half, as Strong singled and later scored on a Graziano RBI double to cut the deficit in half.
The visitors added two more in the third on back-to-back RBI singles, extending the lead to 4-1, but the Pioneers responded with one of their biggest innings of the day. Strong and
Kadyn Hartel (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) reached to set the table before Paul delivered an RBI double, and Graziano followed with a two-run double to tie the game at 4-4.
Utica took its first lead in the fourth when Strong came through with an RBI single, making it 5-4. After Sage tied the game in the fifth, the Pioneers answered with a decisive three-run inning. Gray drove in one,
Alexis Scott (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) brought home another on a fielder's choice, and Strong capped the frame with an RBI double to give Utica an 8-5 advantage.
The Pioneers added an insurance run in the sixth, as Paul doubled and later scored on a Graziano RBI play to push the lead to 9-5.
Sage made one final push in the seventh, stringing together a double and single to score twice and cut it to 9-7, but Utica shut the door from there, sealing the win and earning the split.
Utica (16-20, 11-11 Empire 8) has clinched a berth into the 2026 Empire 8 Softball Tournament. More information on the Pioneers' matchups will be announced as it is available.
