The women's softball team had a busy weekend, going 4-4 during eight games over a four-day stretch.
The first two matches were on Saturday, April 19 against SUNY Oswego. The Lady Knights split the series, losing the first game 5-2 before coming out strong in the second game and winning by a score of 12-1.
Coach Tony Ciccarello felt the team grew tremendously during the road trip.
"It was a tough five days for the players with a lot of traveling," he said. "We grew as a team and they realized how good the team can be when we play as a team and are not worried about individual accomplishments."
In the first game, the Oswego Lakers scored all their runs in a strong fourth inning with only three hits. In the second game, however, Geneseo's offense came alive, exploding for 15 hits in just five innings of play.
The next day, Sunday, April 20 the team traveled to Potsdam for another doubleheader and won both games easily. Junior Kerry Kuhn pitched a three-hit shutout and struck out seven in the first game as the Knights won 11-0, and in the second game junior Lindsay Norton pitched five strong innings to get the victory as the Knights cruised to a 12-1 win. Sophomore third baseman Sam Chin scored three runs and teammates Kuhn and Norton each scored twice.
The road trip continued the next day as the women traveled to Utica to take SUNYIT. Geneseo swept both games, winning 6-1 and 7-5. In the opener, senior Kristen Newton was 2-4 with a double, triple, three runs and an RBI to lead the offense. Kuhn allowed four hits, three walks and struck out seven to pick up the win in the circle. She then came in as a reliever for the second game and picked up the win in two innings of relief.
Unfortunately for the Lady Knights, the five-game winning streak ended on Tuesday, April 22 when Geneseo hosted one of the toughest teams they've played this season, Buffalo State, who swept the Knights in their two-game series.
In the opener, Geneseo jumped out to a two-run lead after the third inning, but the Bengals tied it up in fifth before scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Freshman Janine Montera allowed six hits with five walks and five strikeouts in taking the loss.
In the second game, Buffalo State took advantage of three unearned runs and took a commanding 4-0 lead. Geneseo attempted to mount a rally in the bottom of the fifth but could only manage a one-run comeback. Norton went 2-3 and Kuhn took the loss, walking four and striking out eight.
Ciccarello did point to one weak spot, commenting that the team had been struggling recently to get hits with runners in scoring position. The losses dropped Geneseo to 12-14 overall and 9-7 in SUNYAC play.
The Lady Knights play again at home on Friday, April 25 against New Paltz.