PHOTOS (Courtesy of Erin Locascio, EDL Photography)

CORTLAND, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo softball team took two out of three games from host Cortland to win the 2021 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship on Saturday. The Knights fell to the Red Dragons in game one, but earned victories in game two and game three to win the series and hoist the trophy. 

GAME 1 - CORTLAND 2, GENESEO 1 

• Senior pitcher Nicole Schwartz threw six innings allowing two runs (one earned) on just two hits and one walk but took the loss from the circle. 
• Geneseo jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when senior infielder Melissa Triolo brought in junior infielder Taylor Riccardi. 
• Cortland scored twice in the bottom of the inning and never relinquished the advantage, earning the game one victory.

GAME 2 - GENESEO 12, CORTLAND 7 (10 inn.)

• Geneseo plated five runs in the top of the first inning, scoring five on five hits and capitalizing on a Cortland error to take a massive lead. 
• First-year pitcher Lauren Kersch hit a sacrifice fly, sophomore infielder Olivia Fazio hit a two-run single and sophomore infielder Anna Johnston added a two-run hit. 
• Cortland tallied two runs in the bottom of the first to cut into the lead, but Geneseo jumped back ahead by five with two runs in the third. Johnston provided a two-run double to make it 7-2. 
• The Red Dragons scored two in the bottom of the third and added three more in the fifth to tie the game, 7-7, and force extra innings. 
• In the 10th inning, Riccardi capped a five-run rally with a three-run home run to put Geneseo ahead, 12-7. Kersch shut down the Red Dragons in the bottom half to earn the game two win and force a deciding third game. 

GAME 3 - GENESEO 9, CORTLAND 5

• Cortland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but senior outfielder Angela Van Pelt tied the game with a two-run home run in the top of the second. 
• The Red Dragons regained the lead with a run in the second inning, but the Knights responded with a four-run third inning to make it 6-3. Sophomore utility Leah VanDerwarker ripped a three-run double to provide the difference for the Knights. 
• Cortland tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to make it a one-run game, 6-5, but sophomore pitcher Elizabeth Eberhardt tossed four innings of scoreless relief.
• Geneseo extended its lead with three runs in the seventh inning, and Eberhardt recorded the final three outs to lead the Knights to the SUNYAC title.

QUICK FACTS

• Geneseo earned its third SUNYAC Championship and its second in three seasons (2002, 2018). 
• Anna Johnston was named SUNYAC Tournament MVP after going 10-for-18 from the plate with a home run and two doubles, two runs scored and eight RBI in the Knights five SUNYAC Tournament games. 
• Taylor Riccardi, Leah VanDerwarker, Lauren Kersch and Elizabeth Eberhardt were named to the All-Tournament Team. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

Geneseo will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the third-consecutive season, earning an automatic-qualifying bid as SUNYAC Champion. The Knights will learn their first round opponent and venue during the NCAA Division III Softball Selection Show, on Monday, May 17 at 1:00 p.m.