Naples, FL – Friday, March 10^th was opening day for the SUNY Brockport softball team down at the Gene Cusic Classic in Florida. Starting the day with a 10-8 win over Pitt-Bradford, Brockport went on to lose game two of the day, 12-4, against Alverno.
 
The Golden Eagles start the 2023 season 1-1 after the first day of the Gene Cusic Classic.
 
Brockport 10, Pitt-Bradford 8 – Game 1
 
Freshmen Riley Barrett and Erin Dougherty shined at the plate in their collegiate debuts. In the lead-off spot, Barrett went 3-for-4 in the game with one run. Dougherty batted 3-for-5 with two RBIs and the first triple of her career.
 
Kellie Gentile also rattled of a trio of hits, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs scored. The group of Hailey Burdick, Caitlyn Dailey, Victoria Angelo, and Emma DeJesus all finished the game 2-for-4 at the dish.
 
Jodie Burdick and Amanda Blakely each registered one hit in five at-bats. On the way to 19 hits as a team in the season opener, all nine batters in the lineup connected for at least one hit for the Golden Eagles.
 
Starting in the circle for Brockport was sophomore Fiona Gibiser (1-0). The second-year pitcher got the winning decision after going 5.2 innings with three strikeouts. Freshman Laina Beer made her collegiate pitching debut as well on the day. Teammate Roseland Stroh (S, 1) was credited with the save after closing out the final 1.1 innings to seal the win.
 
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start with three runs in the top of the first. An RBI triple from Dougherty got the party started, with the Burdicks both knocking a run in as well in the first.
 
Brockport held a 3-2 lead after one, but would have an even bigger inning in the third. The team had six hits for five runs in the top of three, jumping out to a commanding 8-2 lead. Gentile, Dailey, DeJesus, and Dougherty all had RBIs during the at-bat.
 
A single run from each team in the fifth would make it a 9-3 game heading into the top of the sixth inning. Angelo added one more run to Brockport's total in the sixth, but Pitt-Bradford would close the gap in the bottom half of the inning.
 
With five runs scored in the sixth, Pitt-Bradford headed into the final inning trailing, 10-8. Stroh was able to put an end to the comeback attempt in the seventh, as she struck out the final batter of the game looking to seal the win for Brockport.
 
Brockport 4, Alverno 12 – Game 2
 
The second game of the day belonged to the Alverno Inferno, as they led start to finish on the way to a 5-inning victory over Brockport. Alverno scored 11 unanswered runs through the top of the fourth.
 
In the bottom half of four the Golden Eagles got on the board. Kellie Gentile brought Jodie Burdick in to score, preventing the shutout. They trailed, 12-1, heading into the bottom of the fifth in need of a rally.
 
Hannah Jacobs drew a walk and Amanda O'Connor singled to get a pair of runners on base to start the inning. Riley Barrett brought Jacobs in to score, looking to spark the offense. An error allowed Burdick to bring O'Connor and Barrett in to score.
 
However, it was too little too late for the Green and Gold. The three runs in the bottom of the fifth made it a 12-4 deficit for the squad. The game ended after the fifth, as Alverno grabbed the win to finish the day.
 
Victoria Angelo (0-1) got the loss in the circle, throwing 3.2 innings for Brockport in her first pitching start since joining the team. Laina Beer stepped into the game in the fourth, going 1.1 innings with two strikeouts.
 
The Golden Eagles are back in action on Saturday with another pair of games at North Collier Park. They take on John Jay at 9am before facing Western Connecticut State at 11am.