Plattsburgh, N.Y. - The Geneseo Knights came to Plattsburgh on Tuesday evening and took two games from the Plattsburgh State Softball team, winning 10-2 and 7-4. The series sweep keeps the Knights undefeated in league play and pulls Plattsburgh to an even .500 in SUNYAC games.
Kristen Langdon (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) enjoyed two multi-hit performances for the Cardinals, as the junior had four hits on the day in eight at bats. She also drove in a run at the plate as she improved her season average to .385.
Game 1: Geneseo 10, Plattsburgh 2
The Knights were the first team to jump on the board, as they did so in the top of the first inning, when an RBI double plated a run for the Knights to give them a 1-0 lead. The score would remain so until the top of the fourth, when Geneseo got two big two-out hits to plate three runs.
The Cardinals were able to respond in the bottom of the fifth, as
Alexa Murray (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) got the offense going, leading off with a bunt single and then stealing second.
Claire Palmer (Suffern, NY/Suffern) followed with an infield hit, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Langdon followed with a sharp single through the left side scoring Murray and cutting the lead to three runs. After a sac bunt,
Rebecca Diller (Halfmon, NY/Shenendehowa) grounded out to short, picking up an RBI as Palmer scored on the play. With the two run inning, the Cardinals were now within two runs and were very much in the game.
The Knights were quick to build their lead back up, however, as they scored three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, going up 10-2 building a lead that the Cardinals could not surmount.
Langdon finished 2-4 with an RBI single and Diller finished with one hit and an RBI.
Kelsy Waite (Winthrop, NY/St. Lawrence Central) and
Sam Gentile (Highland, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) each reached base twice, as they both had one hit and worked walks as well.
Lauren Kersh picked up her seventh win of the season for Geneseo and both Rebecca Schwartz and Samantha Martz had four hits for the Knights.
Game 2: Geneseo 7, Plattsburgh 4
The second game of the twinbill was also close, but this one throughout, as neither team ever led by more than four runs. Each pitcher was able to hold the opposing offense to just two earned runs, but costly errors from each team the total number of runs to be much higher.
As action began in the bottom of the first,
Kristina Maggiacomo (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) was the first to pick up a run scoring hit in game two, with the junior smoking a ball to right center in her first bat, scoring Langdon all the way from first to give the Cardinals. On the defensive side,
Mikayla Manalo (Holtsville, NY/Sachem East) was given the ball for game two and responded well, scattering 10 hits over seven innings and allowing only two earned runs. Manalo tossed two scoreless innings before the Knights were able to score, as an error allowed a run to score to tie the game at one.
With the game knotted at one, Manalo helped herself out, as the first-year drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Geneseo, however, countered in the following half inning with four unearned runs, as errors prolonged the inning and allowed the Knights to come through with some big hits. They tacked on another urn in the top of the sixth to take a 6-2 lead, as another unearned run came around to score.
The bottom of the sixth began with Gentile reaching base on a Knight miscue and Manalo followed with single over the third baseman's head down the left field line. A double steal from Gentile and pinch runner
Gabrielle Rodriguez (Albany, NY/Albany) put two runners in scoring position for
Danielle Torres (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), who lined a shot to right-center to cut the Geneseo lead in half, as both runners scored.
Trailing 7-4 in the seventh, the Cardinals were able to put the tying on base. The Knights were able to end the rally as Torres lined a ball to the left side, where the Geneseo third baseman made an excellent diving play to make the out and end the game.
Langdon recorded the only multi-hit effort of game two for the Cardianls while Maggiacom, Manalo and Torres all contributed RBIs to the team.
The team will head to Cortland this weekend, playing a doubleheader on Friday afternoon, before visting Oswego State on Saturday for another doubleheader in central NY.
