GAME ONE BOXSCORE             GAME TWO BOXSCORE

Senior Stephanie Geer (Binghamton, NY/Seton Catholic) threw her 66th career complete game for The College at Brockport's softball team, but the Golden Eagles ran into a good pitching team and dropped a doubleheader Friday afternoon on Senior Day at the Clark V. Whited Complex.

 

Geer, Brockport's lone senior, threw another gem for the Green and Gold. The right-hander allowed only one run on six hits while striking out seven during a 1-0, Game 1 loss to Brockport's State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) foes.

 

In Game 2, Plattsburgh scored on a two-out, two-run home run in the first and tacked on two more runs in both the third and seventh innings, and Brockport (17-9 overall, 3-5 SUNYAC) could not rally, falling 7-3.

 

“In general, we all wanted to win today. It was Senior Day, and at the same time, Plattsburgh is always a good team and it would have done a lot for us to get a win or two today,” said Geer, who eclipsed 500 career strikeouts but saw her record fall to 11-2 with the loss.

 

“We wanted to prove that we're just as good as Plattsburgh is, even if we're not nationally ranked. … I don't think too much about this being my last year, because I don't want to get emotional. I was more thinking about how I wanted to go at Plattsburgh hard and I really wanted to win this game because they're high-ranked in the SUNYAC.”

 

Geer retired Plattsburgh in order in the first inning, and after allowing a one-out single to Erin Florkiewicz in the second, sophomore catcher Danielle Sage (Oakfield, NY/Oakfield-Alabama) wiped out the baserunner by throwing Florkiewicz out trying to steal second.

 

Plattsburgh, ranked 15th in the country according to the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll, scored the only run of Game 1 in the top of the third. After Geer got the leadoff batter to strikeout swinging, Plattsburgh got three consecutive singles — two on bunts — to push across a run. With runners at the corners and only one out, Geer bore down and got a foul out and a pop up to end the threat.

 

But Ashley Marshall, Plattsburgh's starting pitcher, threw a one-hitter with only one walk while striking out 10 to improve to 14-2.

 

Geer retired the final nine batters she faced. Brockport had one final shot to tie it in the seventh. Sophomore Jenna Yates (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) smacked a pitch towards the wall in center field, but the wind helped keep the ball in play and Yates was out.

 

In between games of the doubleheader, Geer's stellar four-year Brockport career was celebrated. Athletic Director Noah LeFevre and Brockport head softball coach John Dumaw greeted Geer and her parents, Les and Sue Geer, along the third base line. The Brockport faithful saluted Geer, a three-time All-SUNYAC selection for her many accomplishments, which include a 53-16 record, more than 500 career strikeouts and holding Brockport's single-season record for lowest earned-run average (a 0.96 ERA) in 2009.

 

“I'm very appreciative of our fans, they mean everything to us,” said Geer, a chemistry major with a 3.91 grade-point average who earlier this spring was one of five finalists for Brockport's prestigious President's Citation Award, the highest honor a graduating senior can receive.

 

“My parents are here, and we all have a lot of friends that come out and watch us play, so it's really great to have this support and know that people have your back when you're playing out there.”

 

In Game 2, Plattsburgh took a 2-0 lead on a two-run home run in the top of the first. The Golden Eagles trimmed the deficit to one in the home half of the inning. Yates reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on a passed ball, moved up to third on another passed ball and scored on an error as Brockport pulled within 2-1.

 

Plattsburgh took a 4-1 lead by scoring a pair of runs in the third before the Green and Gold made a comeback attempt in the fourth.

 

Nowak hit a one-out single into right-center field, and following a strikeout, junior Liz Hochman (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) reached on an error. Pinch-hitter Sarah Rosenbarker (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell) hit a single into left-center field to plate Nowak and pull Brockport within two. Freshman Erin Fleming (Friendship, NY/Bolivar-Richburg) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. On the play, Hochman scored to pull Brockport within 4-3, and Rosenbarker advanced to third, bringing the tying run to the plate, but a strikeout ended the threat.

 

An inning later, Brockport once again threatened against the Cardinals. Junior Jessica Stahl (Brockport, NY/Aquinas) hit a leadoff single into left-center field. After the next two Golden Eagles made outs, Nowak singled through the left side of the infield, and Stahl and Nowak advanced to second and third on a double-steal, but Plattsburgh got a strikeout to end the inning.

 

Plattsburgh added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to finish the scoring.

 

Nowak finished Game 2 2-for-2 while Stahl, Rosenbarker, Fleming and sophomore Courtney Claflin (Lacona, NY/Sandy Creek) each added base hits for Brockport.

 

Brockport returns to action Saturday with a 1 p.m. home doubleheader against Potsdam.

 

The Golden Eagles are holding their K's for CURE fundraiser to raise money to fight childhood cancer. Brockport fans can drop off their bottles and cans in a collection box outside the Clark V. Whited complex. After the doubleheader, members of the team will canvass the Brockport community, collecting cans that are left out by neighbors.

 

Brockport's coaching staff will each donate $1 for every strikeout by a Golden Eagle pitcher. Stahl's cousin, Emily Herman, a resident of Kendall, Orleans County, survived a bout with leukemia when she was 10 years old. Herman is scheduled to throw out today's first pitch.