The unseasonably bad weather that Geneseo has experienced recently has wreaked havoc on the women's softball team. The mix of rain and snow, along with near-freezing temperatures, has forced the team to reschedule several of its games.
A game against SUNY Potsdam was moved from Monday, April 16 to Monday, April 23. Tuesday's double-header against SUNY Cortland was moved to Wednesday, and then it was bumped back to Thursday. As a result, Thursday's originally-scheduled game against St. John Fisher has been moved to Monday, April 30.
The team was able to play in a double-header against SUNY Brockport last Saturday, but the games didn't go their way. Geneseo lost the first game 3-7 with sophomore Kerry Kuhn taking the loss. Kuhn gave up four runs in five innings, allowing eight hits and recording no strikeouts. Sophomore Lindsay Norton gave up two earned runs in two innings of relief work, notching one strikeout but allowing three hits. On offense, senior Christina Marinucci brought two runners home with a double in the second inning. Geneseo managed only six hits in the game and committed three errors in the field.
The second game of the day did not go any better, as Geneseo lost 2-6. Senior Audrey Kuhn took the loss, allowing three earned runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Junior Kristen Newton was 3 for 3 with two RBI, producing Geneseo's only runs of the game. Norton was solid in relief, allowing only one hit in two innings, but Geneseo could not muster the offense to win. Interestingly, three of Brockport's runs were unearned, resulting from two Geneseo errors.
Due to their games being rescheduled, the softball team will need to play a game almost every day leading up to the end of the semester. Poor weather conditions are completely beyond the school's control, but playing with such a heavy schedule will likely take its toll on the team. Playing without adequate rest will undoubtedly lower their level of play and may make them more susceptible to injury. The team's four pitchers, Audrey and Kerry Kuhn, freshman Kristin Carroza and Norton, may have to pitch several times next week. Ordinarily, none of them would have to pitch more than once or twice per week, so they may feel the strain of the upcoming games more than anyone else on the team.