CLERMONT, Fla. - The SUNY Geneseo Softball team won two out of three games on an action-packed Thursday, defeating McDaniel (Md.) 8-0, and Utica, 2-1, before falling to North Central (Ill.), 9-0. 

GAME ONE - Geneseo 8, McDaniel 0 (5 Inn.)

• The Knights jumped out to an early lead when senior infielder Taylor Riccardi lifted an RBI single through the left side. Junior infielder Audrey Minton drove in two more with a single two batters later to give the Knights a 3-0 lead in the first inning. 
• In the second inning, junior Leah VanDerwarker smacked a two-run home run over the center field fence to extend the lead to 5-0. 
• Geneseo added three more runs in the third inning to make it 8-0. Junior Elizabeth Eberhardt held the McDaniel bats to just two hits and one walk to earn the win while senior catcher Katherine Hayes caught two runners stealing to help prevent the Green Terror from advancing a runner into scoring position the entire game. 

GAME TWO - Geneseo 2, Utica 1

• Utica and Geneseo played through four scoreless innings before the Pioneers played one run in the fifth to take a 1-0 lead. 
• The Knights were held to just five hits throughout the first six innings, but came to life in the seventh. Junior Samantha Martz led off with a bunt single and moved to second when junior Olivia Fazio laid down a successful sacrifice bunt.
• With runners on first and second and two outs, Geneseo scored the tying run on a Utica error. With the winning run on second, sophomore Rebecca Schwartz laced a sharp single to right field, driving in Minton for the game-winning run. 

GAME THREE - North Central 5, Geneseo 1

• Geneseo managed baserunners in all seven innings, but could only muster one run in the seventh inning. 
• North Central capitalized on a Geneseo error, scoring four runs in the third inning and added a fifth run in the fourth. 
• In the seventh, Fazio led off with a single and came in to score three batters later on a Minton RBI single but the Knights could only manage the one run.

QUICK FACTS 

• Riccardi and first-year Kaitlyn Schmitz each recorded at least one hit in each game, as Schmitz finished with a team-high five hits on the day. 
• Senior pitcher Mattie Klein pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless ball in game three, and has now pitched 6.2 scoreless innings of relief to begin the season. 
• Junior pitcher Mattie Woodard earned the victory in game two, tossing three innings of scoreless relief against the Pioneers. 
• Across the three games, 12 Knights recorded at least one hit. 

WHAT'S NEXT? 

The Knights (6-2) will face Wisconsin-Platteville at 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning and Minnesota Morris at 11:00 a.m. to finish out their Florida trip.