KEUKA PARK, N.Y. -On Sunday afternoon, the SUNY Geneseo softball team competed against Keuka in its first Empire 8 matchup of the season. The Knights dominated game one with a 13-0 victory and then secured a 6-5 win in game two in extra innings. Highlighting the wins was
Ray Schumacher, who recorded their 100th career hit as Geneseo now sits at 9-4 overall with a 2-0 mark in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Geneseo got the bats going in the second inning of game one, opening with Molly Griffin drawing a walk. Gabriella Smith then stepped up to the plate and smacked an RBI triple before quickly swiping home on a passed ball. A few batters later, Ray Schumacher worked a walk that brought Bella Nadzan home after she had reached on a fielder's choice. The Knights held a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
- In the third, Griffin reached base and was driven in on a single by Smith to extend the lead to 4-0. Keuka continued to struggle finding offensive momentum in the bottom of the inning. The Knights broke the game open in the fourth, scoring nine runs on six hits. Lauren Babich, Brooke Fraas, and Schumacher all contributed extra-base hits to drive in runs.
- Keuka couldn't close the gap as Geneseo secured a commanding 13-0 victory in game one.
- Keuka turned things around in game two, striking first in the opening inning to take a 2-0 lead. Geneseo quickly answered back in the top of the second, as Smith ripped a leadoff single and Lauren Bieniek followed with an RBI double to get the Knights on the board, 2-1.
- In the fourth, Lauren Babich launched a solo homer to tie the game at two. The Knights took the lead in the fifth when Fraas drew a walk and later scored on a double from Emily Sylvanus.
- Keuka responded in the sixth, scoring three runs on three hits to take a 5-3 lead. Geneseo battled back to tie the game in the seventh, as they trailed by two runs and were down to their final out. Fraas and Sylvanus hit back-to-back two-out singles, followed by another base hit from Schumacher that drove in Fraas. Babich stayed hot at the plate, drilling a double to score Sylvanus.
- The game went into extra innings, where Geneseo came through in the clutch. Jane Reilly delivered an RBI double in the top of the eighth to give the Knights the lead, and Keuka had no answer as Geneseo claimed a 6-5 win to complete the sweep.
QUICK FACTS:
- Fraas fueled the offense in game one, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
- Schumacher went a perfect 3-for-3 in game one with an RBI, recording their 100th career hit.
- Gabriella Petroski picked up the win on the rubber in both games, tossing 5.0 shutout innings and striking out seven while only allowing one hit in game one, then stepping up in relief of game two with three innings pitched and six strikeouts.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Knights will travel to Rochester tomorrow to face U of R for a 3 P.M. start.