BUFFALO STATE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Marissa Hayes (N. Tonawanda/Niagara-Wheatfield) held Plattsburgh scoreless in 12 of the 14 innings she pitched and Buffalo State converted 20 hits into 12 runs in a two-game sweep over the visiting Cardinals today, rallying to win 5-4 in the first game, before taking the late game by a 7-4 count.
GAME #1 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 5, Plattsburgh – 4
LOCATION: Softball Field – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (7-13/5-4), Plattsburgh (12-12/4-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hannah Dunlap (Batavia/Oakfield-Alabama) paced the Bengals’ offense in the opening game, going 3 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
- Julia Blujus (Amherst/Sacred Heart) was 2 for 3 with three runs scored.
- Abijah Adams (Rochester/Greece-Arcadia) was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Danielle Szymkowiak(Cheektowaga/Cheektowaga) was also 2 for 4 with an RBI.
- Buffalo State erased an early 4-1 deficit and scored the winning run on an RBI double by Dunlap in the sixth inning.
- The Cardinal scored all four runs in the third inning to take the 4-1 advantage.
- The Bengals responded with one run in the third on an RBI single by Adams, but left the bases loaded to end the inning.
- Buffalo State kept the bats going in the fourth inning, converting three hits into two more runs to even the score.
- After Dunlap’s sixth inning single put the Bengals ahead, Plattsburgh led off the seventh with a double to right center. The next batter single, but Szymkowiak threw a strike home from centerfield and catcher Kaelee Lynch (Atwater, CA/Buhuch Colony) applied the tag.
- Marissa Hayes (N. Tonawanda/Niagara-Wheatfield) forced the next two batters to fly out to seal the win. Hayes registered her sixth win of the season, scattering seven hits and striking out four.
FOR THE FOES
- Jennifer Groat was 2 for 4 for Plattsburgh.
- Dominque Zummo also went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
GAME #2 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 7, Plattsburgh – 4
LOCATION: Softball Field – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (8-13/6-4), Plattsburgh (12-13/4-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Szymkowiak powered the Bengals to the win in the late game going 3 for 3 with a home run, a double and three RBIs.
- Blujus was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored, and senior Nicole Adams (Lockport/Starpoint) belted her second career home run.
- Szymkowiak’s solo homer in the first inning and Adams’ solo shot in the second gave the Bengals the early lead. Buffalo State scored again in the second on an RBI double by Justine Silva (Baldwin Park, CA/Arroyo) and pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Abijah Adams.
- Plattsburgh coupled three hits with a pair of Buffalo State errors for a four-run fourth inning to even the score, but the Bengals had an answer.
- Buffalo State took the lead for good in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Cassie O’Hern (Augusta, NJ/High Point), and added a pair of insurance runs on a two-run single by Szymkowiak in the sixth.
- Hayes was in command in the circle, retiring Plattsburg in order in the final three innings. She just five hits and no earned runs in the victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Jennifer Groat extended her hitting streak to 36 games, which moves her into a tie for the second-longest streak all-time in Division III.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will host Potsdam tomorrow in another SUNYAC twin bill starting at 11 a.m.
