Geneseo, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State Softball team (13-18, 9-9) took the #21 team in the country down to the wire on Thursday morning, falling to Geneseo (31-5, 16-2) 4-3. The team had the tying run on second base with two outs in the seventh, but could not bring her around to score.
Kristen Langdon (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) was outstanding at the plate, driving in two runs and posting three hits on the day for the Cardinals. In relief,
Kristina Maggiacomo (South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) was excellent, holding the Knights scoreless through 4.1 innings of two-hit work.
For Geneseo, Lauren Kersch was the pitcher of record, improving to a perfect 13-0 with the win, tossing a complete game, allowing eight hits and three earned runs.
The Knights were the first team to get on the board, striking in the bottom of the first for a run on an RBI single. They added three more runs in the second, as one run scored on an RBI groundout and two more came home on a fielding error.
Julia Golino (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) was the pitcher of record earning a loss, allowing four runs, with only two being earned.
Maggiacomo entered at the end of the second inning and proceeded to dominate Geneseo for the rest of the game. The junior arm ended up logging 4.1 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just two hits and striking out three batters.
With the Knights leading 4-0 heading into the top of the third, the Cards were able to respond, posting two runs on back-to-back hits. With a runner on first and two outs,
Alexa Murray (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comswegoue) doubled to left field, scoring shortstop
Claire Palmer (Suffern, NY/Suffern) all the way from first base. Langdon followed with a base hit of her own, scoring Murray from second.
The next three and a half innings remained quiet, as neither team could muster many base runners or get a rally started. In the top of the seventh, in their final shot, the Cardinals were able to get a rally started when Palmer singled to put two runners on for Plattsburgh State after
Alex McKearin (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane) reached on a fielder's choice. After a foul out put the Cards an out away from the loss, Langdon singled up the middle to bring home McKearin, simultaneously putting the tying run in scoring position. Kersch, however, was able to get the final out by striking out the Plattsburgh batter and advancing the Knights into the next round of the tourney.
Plattsburgh State will now play Fredonia, who fell to Cortland 6-0 in the following game, at 3 p.m. later today, May 5. The loser will be eliminated from the SUNYAC tournament while the winner would play tomorrow at 1 p.m. against the winner of Cortland and New Paltz/Oneonta.
