For the first time since 2007, the Geneseo women’s softball team won a playoff game on Thursday May 3.
The No. 3-seed Knights defeated the No. 4-seed Buffalo State College Bengals 5-1, in the opening round of the SUNYAC double elimination tournament.
Geneseo got off to an early start against Buffalo State, scoring a run in the first. Senior Kelsey Ogden singled and scored off a RBI single from sophomore Sam Trapasso.
In the second inning, senior KK Schaus’ two-run single continued Geneseo’s offense. Juniors Stef Rosenberg and Lexi Williams added key hits to maintain the momentum.
Junior Mary Bostwick pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and striking out the equivalent. Bostwick tallied five walks, but according to head coach Tony Ciccarello, four were on purpose against senior Bengals slugger Kyrstin Lekki.
The following day, Friday May 4, the Knights fell to champion SUNY Plattsburgh and Brockport, respectively.
The Plattsburgh Cardinals overwhelmed Geneseo, earning the win after five innings, 9-0. Trapasso, Williams and junior Jane LePage were the only Knights to record a hit.
The loss tested the Knights’ pitching staff. Bostwick started the contest and gave up five hits, two earned runs and two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Junior Katie Gallagher threw for one inning and allowed three hits, four earned runs, one walk, but struck out one. Classmate Alexa Salzman gave up two hits with one strikeout in 1/3 inning of relief.
In the first game of the consolation bracket, the Brockport Golden Eagles eliminated the Knights, 16-12. Despite the loss, Ciccarello described it as “a memorable game.”
The senior trio of Ogden, Schaus and Walsh paced the offense. Ogden and Schaus went 3-5 and 2-4, respectively, with two runs each. Schaus also had three RBI. Walsh went 1-3 with a double and run in the fifth.
“[The seniors] stepped up even in the Brockport game. Every senior got a clutch hit,” Ciccarello said.
In the end, however, their hard work didn’t compensate for the six errors.
“We made errors at the worst times. Every error led to runs,” Ciccarello said.
By the end of the tournament, the Knights “ran out of gas,” Ciccarello said. “We have been in playoff mode since mid-April…and it caught up to us. We started falling apart – physically and mentally – but I’ll tell you what…this was one of the most fun years I’ve ever had ‘cause they never quit. They had so much character.”
Geneseo completes its season, 22-19.