PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State softball team earned the No. 3 seed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament with a Senior Day doubleheader split with Fredonia on Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Park in the regular-season finales for both teams. The Cardinals won game one, 4-2, before falling by a 4-0 final in game two.
Between games, Plattsburgh State honored its one senior,
Hope VanBrocklin (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown).
Sophomore catcher
Jennifer Groat (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) joined the 100-hit club in game one of the twinbill, joining teammate
Dominique Zummo (Commack, N.Y./St. Anthony's) in that rarefied air. She now has 101 for her career after posting two hits during the afternoon
Plattsburgh State moves to 23-17 overall (11-7 SUNYAC) with the results and will face fourth-seeded Buffalo State in its first game at the double-elimination SUNYAC Tournament on Thursday, May 4, at 1 p.m. Fredonia finishes its season at 15-23 overall (5-13 SUNYAC).
Game 1: Plattsburgh State 4, Fredonia 2
Plattsburgh State overcame a 2-1 deficit and used a two-run sixth inning to come away with the game-one win over Fredonia.
Groat kicked off scoring in the first, tripling to right center before coming home on an error throw by the cut-off person. Fredonia tied the game in the second on a double steal, and in the third, junior first baseman Katelyn Dennis hit a solo home run to center field to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 advantage.
Junior left fielder
Felicia Torres (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) tied the game for the Cardinals in the fifth on an RBI groundout, while in the sixth, Zummo plated sophomore shortstop
Kaitlyn Preiss (Cornwall, N.Y./Cornwall) with a triple and freshman first baseman
Haleigh Agans (Brasher Falls, N.Y./St. Lawrence Central) drove in Zummo with a single to put Plattsburgh State on top for good.
Zummo went 2-for-3 with a triple to pace the Cardinal bats, while two different Blue Devils recorded hits.
Junior pitcher
Taylor Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) earned the win in the circle for the Cardinals, throwing 2 2/3 perfect innings of relief. She struck out three and threw just 26 pitches to retire the seven batters she faced. Freshman pitcher Katie Yudin suffered the loss for Fredonia, yielding four runs (three earned) on six hits and seven walks while striking out two.
Game 2: Fredonia 4, Plattsburgh State 0
Despite scattering seven hits in the nightcap, the Cardinals were unable to capitalize on their offensive opportunities, as Fredonia salvaged the split with a 4-0 win.
After two scoreless innings, senior center fielder Erin Mushtare put Fredonia on the board with a three-run double in the third, and junior left fielder Lauren Pixley drove in senior shortstop Khee Nance with an RBI double in the fifth.
Preiss and Agans both had multiple hits for Plattsburgh State, while Nance batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored and also stole two bases for Fredonia.
Freshman pitcher
Rhea Pitkin (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown) shouldered the loss for the Cardinals, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven. Smith threw three innings of relief, permitting just one run on three hits while striking out three. Freshman pitcher Sam Seegar threw a seven-hit shutout for Fredonia.
