Softball Splits Doubleheader With Siena
GAME ONE I GAME TWO
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Bouncing back from a 10-0 loss in game one, the University at Albany softball team rallied for a 13-8 nightcap victory over Siena College, splitting Thursday afternoon's doubleheader at Siena Field.
In game one, the Saints took a commanding 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first on five hits, including a pair of home runs by Sammy Smaldone and Chelsey Drew.
Siena's Loryn DeFalco knocked a two-run homer in the second, and the Saints tacked on two more runs in the fourth for a 10-0 advantage.
While UAlbany put at least one runner on in each frame, the Danes were unable to get anyone across the plate in the five-inning contest. Freshman McKenzie Bump led the squad at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a single.
Sophomore Devin Durando (12-5) and junior Caitlin Cooper split time in the circle, each tossing two frames, while Siena's Lauren Butts (8-5) earned the win holding UAlbany to four hits in 4.0 innings of work.
In the nightcap, Siena took the initial lead again on three home runs, as Drew belted a solo shot in the second inning, and Smaldone and Paige Hess each had one in the third for a 4-0 lead.
However, the Great Danes battled back, catching fire for nine runs in the fourth. UAlbany batted through the order, recording eight hits, including two each by sophomore Donna Conrad, senior Maggie Cocks, and junior Liz Snow in the middle of the order for a 9-4 advantage.
Siena answered with two runs in the fifth, stringing together three singles, but the Danes added three runs in the sixth for a six-run lead, 12-6. Snow's two-run single down the left field line plated Conrad and Cocks, and freshman Chelsea Henige's run-scoring groundout marked her third RBI of the game.
In the seventh, Cocks drove in Bump with a single, adding an insurance run to the pile for a season-high 13 runs in the game. With two outs in the Saints' final at-bats, Madysen Cossack ripped a two-run home run over the right-centerfield fence, but that would be it for Siena.
Freshman Celeste Verdolivo (9-4) earned the win, allowing eight runs and 10 hits, while striking out six in the complete game.
Totaling a season-high16 hits in the victory, Cocks (3-for-5, 3 RBI), Snow (3-for-5, 4 RBI), and Henige (3-for-4, 3 RBI) led the way for UAlbany with three hits apiece.
“We have just hit a stretch in the year where we have a lot of people struggling at the same time,” said Head Coach Chris Cannata. “There are a lot of ups and downs that you need to ride out in the course of a season, and we need to keep working through these bad games. I'm happy we were able to bounce with a good win in the second game today.”
Up next, the Great Danes remain out of conference, traveling to take on Coppin State for a four-game series Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore, Md.
