STAFF REPORTS
news@allwnynews.com
CORTLAND — Buffalo State softball opens its run in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships this afternoon with a matchup against the No. 3 seeded Plattsburgh Cardinals at host Cortland’s Dragon Field at 1 p.m.
The Bengals (15-21/11-7) earned the No. 4 seed in the double-elimination tournament with a sweep over Potsdam on Saturday. Buffalo State ended the regular season on a 6-2 run in conference play.
The Bengal offense has been led this season by Laura Crooks (Niagara Falls/Niagara Wheatfield) and Cassandra O’Hern (Augusta, NJ/High Point). Crooks is second in the SUNYAC with 49 hits and sits third in the conference with a .412 batting average. The senior business major has added 27 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. O’Hern leads the SUNYAC with 37 RBIs and is 11th in both hits (41) batting average (.363).
Allie Block (N. Tonawanda/Starpoint) has also been a main contributor on offense, batting .333 with four homeruns, 20 RBIs, and 17 runs scored.
Buffalo State got a recent boost with the return of shortstop Julia Blujus (Amherst/Sacred Heart). The sophomore criminal justice major has gone 10-for-28 (.357) since coming back after a month-long absence, knocking in two RBIs and scoring four runs.
Block leads Buffalo State in the circle, going 15-12 this year with a 2.65 ERA. The sophomore exceptional education major led the SUNYAC in strikeouts with 146, the 19th most in all of Division III and second-best mark for a single-season in school history.
Buffalo State will next play on Friday morning at either 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. based on the outcomes of today’s games.
