CANANDAIGUA, NY – The Utica University softball team split an Empire 8 doubleheader on Friday afternoon against Keuka College. The Pioneers dropped the opener 7-2 before bouncing back with a 7-6 victory in game two.
Game One: Keuka 7, Utica 2
The Pioneers were limited to three hits in the contest, with Mya Strong (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls) accounting for one of them while driving in a run. Eden Resch (Stillwater, NY/Stillwater) and Ava Hayes (Sauquoit, NY/Notre Dame) also recorded hits, with Hayes notching a double. Caroline Porter (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) made the start in the circle, working 4.2 innings and allowing five runs while striking out three. Emily Lehane (Franklin Square, NY/H. Frank Carey) provided relief, tossing the final 1.1 innings.
After a quiet first inning on both sides, Utica manufactured the game's first run in the second. Alexis Scott (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) worked a walk, moved into scoring position on a sacrifice hit from Resch, and came around to score on a wild pitch to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
Keuka answered immediately in the bottom half. The Wolves plated two unearned runs, including an RBI double to take a 2-1 lead.
The hosts added on in the third with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 3-1, before breaking the game open in the fifth. A trio of walks set the table, and an attempted squeeze bunt with shifty baserunning by the Wolves plated the 4-1 run, followed by an RBI double pushed the lead to 5-1.
Keuka tacked on two more in the sixth on a two-run home run, stretching the margin to 7-1.
Utica showed life in the seventh, as Ava Hayes (Sauquoit, NY/Notre Dame) led off with a double and Kadyn Hartel (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) scored on an RBI groundout from Mya Strong (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls), but the late push wasn't enough as Keuka closed out the opener.
Game Two: Utica 7, Keuka 6
Utica responded in the second game with a strong offensive showing, totaling nine hits in the one-run victory. Strong led the way with a 2-for-4 performance, including her sixth triple of the season, tying the single season triples record, and two RBIs, while Kadyn Hartel (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) added two hits and scored twice. Alexa Thompson (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) reached base three times and drove in a run, and Alexis Scott (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) contributed a two-run double in the third inning.
Kari Graziano (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) earned the win in the circle, going the distance while striking out six. After surrendering six runs early, Graziano settled in to keep Keuka off the board over the final four innings, securing the conference split for the Pioneers.
Utica wasted no time jumping on the board in game two. Mya Strong (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls) singled, advanced to third on a sacrifice groundout and stolen base, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Alexa Thompson (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead in the first.
Keuka responded with a big second inning, using three hits, a hit-by-pitch, and multiple Utica miscues to plate five runs and take a 5-1 advantage.
The Pioneers answered right back in the third. Kadyn Hartel (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) opened the inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Strong. Later in the frame, Alexa Thompson (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) worked a walk before Alexis Scott (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) delivered a clutch two-run double to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Keuka added a run in the bottom half to make it 6-4, but Utica continued to chip away. In the fourth, back-to-back singles and aggressive baserunning helped plate two runs, tying the game at 6-6.
The decisive moment came in the sixth inning. Hartel reached with a single, and Strong came through again—this time ripping an RBI triple to give the Pioneers their first lead since the opening inning at 7-6.
Utica (4-1, 9-10 Empire 8) returns to action on Friday, April 10 as the team opens Greenman Field for the first time this season, hosting the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 3pm.
