FORT MYERS, Fla. – The College at Brockport softball team dropped their opening day games against Geneva College and Rivier College on Friday afternoon, falling to 0-2 on the season.
Game 1 vs. Geneva: Loss, 12-11
The offense was dominant in the season opener for the Golden Eagles, pushing 11 runs across the plate on 21 hits.
Casey Danko led the team with four hits in the game, while
Alexis Ross,
Lindsay Wachna, and
Jessica Koneski each collected three hits.
Brockport held a 9-4 lead in this game through 4 ½ innings of play, but six runs in the fifth and sixth innings for Geneva had the game tied at 10-10 going into the seventh. After both teams were blanked, the game went to extra innings, where the Golden Tornadoes outscored Brockport 2-1 in the eighth to come away with the win.
Nine of the Golden Eagles 11 runs in the contest were earned, as seven different players collected an RBI, led by Ross and Danko who each had two.
Becky Knorr took the loss in the game, despite pitching 7.2 solid innings highlighted by eight strikeouts.
Game 2 vs. Rivier: Loss, 6-4
Where the first game was defined by offense, the second game of the double-header was a defensive battle nearly throughout, with the teams combining for just four runs through the first six innings of play. A three run top of the seventh gave Rivier a commanding 6-1 lead going into the final half inning.
The Green and Gold made the most of their last licks at the plate, making the game interesting in the bottom of the seventh. After
Karleigh Eaton and
Penny Lenard each singled to put two on the bases,
Meghan Cullen came to the plate and blasted a homerun deep over the left centerfield wall to bring Brockport back to within two.
After a pitching change for Rivier, Wachna followed up Cullen's shot with a single down the left field line, re-igniting the momentum for Brockport. Koneski was the next batter, and the sophomore nearly tied the game, hitting a high deep drive to straightaway centerfield, but was robbed of a homerun by the Raiders centerfielder who made a terrific leaping catch, ending the threat.
Amanda Colon pitched four strong innings for Brockport in this game, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five. Freshman
Julia Palopoli also had a strong outing in her first collegiate game, giving up one run in her two innings of work while striking out a pair.
The Green and Gold will be back in action tomorrow, facing off against Albion College and Nichols College for a double-header beginning at 11 a.m.
Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.
