After dominating performances against Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam, the Oswego State softball team looked to continue their winning ways in a doubleheader against SUNY Fredonia on April 17.
The Lakers entered the weekend undefeated at 12-0, but suffered their first loss of the season against the Fredonia Blue Devils by a score of 3-1 in the first game.
The first inning saw no action from either team, but errors hurt the Lakers in the second. The Blue Devils’ Chloe Wittingham got on base off a dropped fly, advanced to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a passed ball. Wittingham scored the first run of the day off of a throwing error, the score 1-0 off Lakers mistakes alone.
The third inning saw two more runs from the Blue Devils, but it started with two immediate outs. The third batter, Fredonia’s Kayla Lynn got walked and stole second. A single from Alexa Bogad brought her home and another single from Avery Hill gave the Blue Devils a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth.
The Lakers were able to respond in the fourth with some good hits, two singles and a sacrifice bunt that brought Delaney Wiley home to make it 3-1. Unfortunately, there was no more scoring for the Lakers as they left the inning with two players on base.
There was no more action in terms of scoring for the rest of the game, but Alyssa Budzinski did have a nice game with eight strikeouts.
The second game did not fare better for the Lakers, as they lost again to the Blue Devils, this time 5-3.
Kira Wright started the game off with a huge triple. A sacrifice fly by Emma Budzinski brought Wright in to make it 1-0. Two more Lakers were able to get on base before a ground out ended the promising top of the inning for Oswego. The Blue Devils struck right back in the bottom however, as Fredonia scored three times in the first, leaving the score at 3-1 heading into the second.
The Lakers were able to tack on another score in the second, thanks to a massive double from Mackenzie Carlson. But the Blue Devils responded harshly once again, adding two more runs to the score, leaving the deficit at 5-2.
The offense stalled after the second inning and we did not see a score until the sixth, courtesy of a Carlson homerun. But that was a last gasp for the Lakers, as they fell 5-3 to the Blue Devils.
The Lakers moved on to another doubleheader against the Buffalo State Bengals on April 18. However, the Lakers could not overcome the Bengals and fell 5-2 in the first game.
The Bengals started red-hot in the first, but not without Lakers’ mistakes. The Bengals’ first batter popped up a fly ball to first for an out. The second batter was struck out swinging, however a passed ball error from the Lakers’ catcher allowed the player to take their base. Then a massive homerun from Mya Hurley put the Lakers in a 2-0 hole.
The Bengals scored again in the second, with three hits they could have done more damage, but they only tacked on one more run to make it 3-0.
The Lakers responded in the third as Wiley hammered a double through the center of the field, bringing two players home after some errant pitches from the Bengals. Pitching and defensive masterclasses in the next three innings still had the score at 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. In the sixth inning the Bengals were able to score two more times, putting the nail in the coffin as the Lakers lost 5-2.
The Lakers were hungrier than ever for a win after this loss and headed into the second game with a chip on their shoulder. The Bengals started just as hot though, notching four runs in the first two innings. The important part of the game for the Lakers was the fourth inning, as Oswego headed into it down 4-1.
Emma Grasso brought in the electricity the Lakers needed. Even though she had to swing ten times at the plate, she still nailed it on the tenth try as she homered and made the score 4-2. The next batter singled and the next got walked before Wright hit a triple to right field as the Lakers dug out of their hole to make it 4-4. The Lakers were unable to break through and get a lead though.
It was through the mistakes of their opponent that the Lakers were finally able to creep ahead, as a passed ball brought Erika Finney home in the fifth. Great pitching and defense from the Lakers helped them keep this lead for the rest of the game as no team scored again, giving Oswego a well-earned 5-4 victory.
The Lakers continue a path of divisional matchups, as they face SUNY New Paltz (11-1) on April 24 in a doubleheader and they have another one against SUNY Oneonta (8-4) on April 25. If the Lakers want to solidify themselves as the top dog in the SUNYAC, they need to win these games.
