CLERMONT, FLA.– SUNY Geneseo junior Alyssa Presutti scored three times, while senior Jenna Phillips had four RBI in a win over Framingham St., helping the Knights' softball team split its final two games in Florida on Friday. After opening the day with a 10-2 defeat of the Rams, Geneseo dropped a close game to Benedictine (Ill.) 4-2. The Knights close out the southern portion of their 2016 schedule with a 5-5 record, their most successful trip in the last five seasons. 

Game 1: Geneseo 10, Framingham St. 2 (six innings)
The Knights rallied from an early two-run hole, scoring all its runs from the fourth inning on. Presutti was on base three times via a hit and two walks, scoring three runs and driving in a run, while seniors Phillips and Cat Krok had key RBI hits to back the pitching of classmate Mikayla Moore (3-1).

Framingham St. put Geneseo in a hole early, opening the game with two singles and a triple to score two quick runs. The Knights avoided further damage when the Rams' batter tried to stretch the triple into a home run, courtesy of a relay from right fielder Presutti to first-year catcher Taylor Fedor.

Geneseo tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Presutti opened the inning with a base on balls and was sacrificed to second. With two outs, Moore tripled to left field, scoring Presutti. Junior Marisa Motisi drew a walk, then intentionally forced a run-down situation, avoiding the tag long enough for Moore to score the tying run from third.

The Knights took the lead in its next at-bat. First-year Alyssa Persich extended her hitting streak to nine games with a lead-off single and advanced to second on a one-out base hit by Krok. With two out, Presutti singled up the middle, scoring Persich and Phillips followed with a two-run double to give Geneseo a 5-2 lead.

Two-out hitting helped the Knights widen the margin in the top of the sixth. A Motisi walk, Persich single and sacrifice fly set the table for Krok's single up the middle which plated two runs, increasing the lead to 7-2. After a pair of walks, Phillips singled to make it 9-2. A wild pitch added one more run, increasing the Geneseo lead to eight, ending the game after the Rams failed to score in the bottom of the inning.

Persich had two hits and two runs, Phillips had two hits and four RBI and Krok was on base four times (two hits, two walks), while scoring two and driving in two. Moore, who gave up only one hit after the first inning and at one point retired 10 consecutive batters, allowed two earned runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three.

Game 2: Benedictine 4, Geneseo 2
Geneseo had at least one baserunner in every inning and out-hit the Ravens 11-5, but struggled to deliver with runners on board. Sophomore Olivia Furness (0-3) had a no-hitter through five innings, while first-year Danni Napoli had three hits and sophomore Tori Fahie added two.

After stranding two runners in the first inning, the Knights struck first by pushing across a run in the second. With one out, Napoli and junior Taylor Knowles delivered back-to-back singles and both advanced on a sacrifice. After a walk to Persich, the Raven catcher unsuccessfully tried to pick Knowles off second base and Napoli alertly came in to score.

Benedictine knotted the game at one in the top of the third, courtesy of a hit-by-pitch and a pair of Geneseo fielding miscues. Furness stranded a pair of runners at second and third to keep the game tied. The Knights had a chance to re-take the lead in the bottom of the third, but Napoli, at third following a leadoff double and sacrifice, was out at the plate trying to score on an infield grounder.

Geneseo moved ahead in the bottom of the fifth, with the solo run the product of aggressive baserunning. With two outs, Fahie and Presutti had back-to-back hits. First-year Taylor Moore came in to pinch-run for Fahie and advanced to third on a passed ball. Presutti and Moore then successfully executed the double steal, with Moore scoring to give Geneseo a 2-1 lead.

Furness held Benedictine hitless through five innings, but in the sixth, the Ravens strung together four hits off Furness and junior reliever Alexis Kidder to take the lead 4-2. Despite putting baserunners aboard in their last two at-bats, the Knights couldn't close the margin.

Benedictine, playing its first game of the season, was coming off a 31-11 2015 season, which earned the Ravens a No. 5 ranking in the Great Lakes Region.

Despite six of the games in Florida being against opponents who earned regional rankings last season, the Knights had its most successful spring trip since 2011, when the team also went 5-5. Geneseo will return to action on Wednesday, March 30 with a home doubleheader against University of Rochester, with the first game starting at 3 p.m.