RSC Sweeps Elmira on Senior Day
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Softball swept Saturday's home Empire 8 Conference doubleheader from Elmira.
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Softball swept Saturday's home Empire 8 Conference doubleheader from Elmira.
After honoring six student-athletes for their contributions to the program as part of the "Senior Day" festivities, the Gators (14-14/7-5 E8) used some strong defense and timely hitting to take the opener 4-1.
RSC turned a trio of double plays, including when sophomore outfielder Carmela DeMaio (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) gunned out a Soaring Eagle trying to score from third on the fly out to left. The fourth inning twin killing helped RSC right-hander Annabella Putnam (Prattsburgh, NY/Prattsburgh/Mansfield) (5-5, 1 save), announced as the E8 Pitcher of the Week on Monday, escape a bases loaded jam.
The graduate student, who was named to the prestigious National Fastpitch Coaches Association Players and Pitchers to Watch List, allowed just five hits, zero earned runs, and fanned four. She finished the day leading the E8 with a .195 opposing batting average and sat third with a 2.64 ERA.
In the first game, junior designated player Annalise Tyler (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while junior infielder Katie Call (Antwerp, NY/Indian River/Jefferson County CC) went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
The Gators overcame an early 3-0 deficit to take the nightcap 8-4.
RSC got two back in the second, before scoring four runs in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.
Junior shortstop Allison Kenyon (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) had the big hit of the rally, singling through the right side to plate a pair of Gators.
The Gators, now 6-1 in their last seven E8 contests, tacked on with two runs in the sixth.
With no outs, Tyler laced an RBI single and senior catcher/outfielder Emma Heartquist (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane), among the E8 batting leaders, followed with a double to plate the RSC leadoff hitter.
Senior pitcher Bailey Catlin (Petersburg, NY/Berlin/Saint Rose) went the distance to earn the victory (6-5). The Conference leader in ERA permitted just eight hits, allowed only one earned run, and whiffed four Soaring Eagles (7-16/3-9 E8).
Heartquist went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in the second game. The catcher, who finished the twin bill fourth in the E8 in hitting at .444, went 3-for-6 in the sweep.
Looking forward, RSC is slated to host Hartwick on Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Day: Before the doubleheader, Russell Sage College Athletics recognized # student-athletes: Catlin, infielder Ciana Santana (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow), Heartquist, infielder Amber Banas (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties), pitcher Zoe Moroughan (Adams, NY/South Jefferson), and Putnam, for their contributions to the Softball program.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: Russell Sage College Softball looks to return to the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament for the sixth-straight spring…14 returners combine with seven newcomers to make up this year's roster…Tyler, Heartquist and senior infielder Hannah Smith (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa/Saint Rose) headline the returnees…Putnam and Call highlight the newcomers…Tyler and Smith both earned all-Empire 8 Conference honors last season…Tyler was named to the second team while Smith represented the Gators on the third team…Tyler took home E8 Player of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday, March 15…The infielder slashed .462/.654/.533 during the team's season-opening trip to Florida…The junior scored eight runs, tallied four RBI, laced three doubles, and totaled 17 bases…She registered four multi-hit efforts and stole four bases across the eight games…Putnam was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Players and Pitchers to Watch List…The righty, just one of 118 players from across the country to make the prestigious list, helped the RSC pitching staff end the weekend leading the E8 with 149 strikeouts…The Gators will go into Tuesday's doubleheader vs. Hartwick ranked second in the E8 with a Team ERA of 3.41…Putnam was tabbed the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 12…The graduate student, who no-hit visiting Houghton on April 10, went 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 13 strikeouts in her two Conference starts that weekend…Overall, she went 2-1 across her three starts this week, all complete games…The righty registered 15 strikeouts across 18.0 innings, a 2.33 ERA, and a .232 opposing batting average…Opponents are batting just .195 off the graduate student, the worst off of any E8 hurler…Putnam concluded the weekend ranked fifth on the circuit with 69 strikeouts and third with a 2.64 ERA…Catlin leads the Conference with a 2.24 ERA…The duo each tossed seven complete games, tied for fifth in the E8…Heartquist concluded the weekend fourth in the E8 with a .444 batting average.