By: Zachary Harnischfeger
BROCKPORT, NY-- The Brockport Golden Eagles softball team entered the day looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Costly errors prevented them from doing so as the Golden Eagles dropped both games of the doubleheader against conference rival Oneonta Red Dragons.
“We are playing really good softball,” Brockport head coach Mary Karen Wheat said. “We had a lot of runners in scoring position in that first game and a lot of energy and just couldn’t get those runs across. Oneonta played great defense when they needed to step up. In that second game we held them tight and had one inning where we kind of slipped away. If we're going to close out our season this way let's close it out playing good softball like we are.”
Game One
Both teams couldn't get anything going offensively to start and were held scoreless through three innings. The Red Dragons struck first in the top of the fourth inning after third basemen Victoria Hussey drove in designated player Sara Cartier on a sacrifice fly to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Brockport designated player Tori Angelo singled and drove in right fielder Olivia Simone to tie the game at one apiece. This was the only run Brockport scored in the game.
“I have been getting a lot of opportunities recently,” Angelo said. “I was just looking for my pitch, waiting and running the count up a little bit, and when I got my pitch I swung at it and it worked out in our favor.”
The Red Dragons put up four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 5-1 lead and held Brockport scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 5-1.
Game Two
The Red Dragons got off to a quick start in Game Two. In the top of the first inning, Oneonta second basemen Ella Stewart brought home center fielder Adriana Fiori on a groundout to give the Red Dragons the early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the third inning, catcher Julie Serena drove in Fiori on a groundout to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, after a double by Brockport third basemen Erin Dougherty, center fielder Kellie Gentile doubled and drove in Dougherty to cut the deficit to 2-1. This was the only run in the game for Brockport.
The Red Dragons went on to score six runs in the top of the sixth inning and then added another run in the top of the seventh inning to win the game 9-1.
Gentile and the team are extremely confident heading into a senior day match-up against a tough New Paltz Hawks team.
“We’re really excited,” Gentile said. “We get to celebrate our seniors tomorrow, the three of them that we really adore and New Paltz is a good team and it would be really fun to take one from them. It would be a very big upset and we can, we have the ability to, we just got to do what we know we can do, which we are very capable of.”
With the loss, the Golden Eagles drop to 8-26 overall and 2-14 in the conference. The Golden Eagles wrap up the season tomorrow when they host the New Paltz Hawks for Senior Day at 3 and 5 p.m.