The Geneseo women’s softball team will look ahead to brighter days after struggling during away games.
The Knights had high hopes this past weekend as they took on New Paltz on Friday April 14 and the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons on Saturday April 15. Their goals were not quite reached, however, as they managed to only come out of the weekend with one win.
There were quite a few factors that may have played a role in the Knights’ 1-3 weekend. For starters, fatigue is a prime culprit for not producing the desired outcome. Geneseo traveled over four hours on a bus to New Paltz to start a weekend where they would be playing two double headers for a total of four games. That alone can take a toll on an individual.
If that wasn’t enough, the Knights then traveled two and a half hours to Oneonta, only to have to be up by 8 a.m. to gear up to face the Red Dragons.
“Whenever you travel that far, the bus can take a little out of you,” head coach David Sylvester said.
It would be inaccurate to place all the blame on fatigue, tho≠≠ugh. The women simply didn’t produce the way they have been accustomed to this entire season.
“Our biggest issue was the lack of offense. As a team, we hit the ball all weekend, but left a number of runners on base,” Sylvester said.
The team gathered many hits over the weekend, but weren’t able to capitalize on them. Leaving runners on base seemed to be the motif, as the Knights left a total of 26 runners on base over the course of the four games.
Going forward, the Knights will have to put up some wins in order to make the playoffs, as they currently sit at sixth place in the SUNYACs with a 5-5 in conference record. It will be vital for the women to have success starting on Friday April 21, as they are scheduled to play four conference games.
The Knights will head to Fredonia to take on the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils for a double header starting at 3 p.m. on Friday April 21. Fredonia is having a season to forget, only tallying one win in conference play. The next day the Knights travel to Buffalo to take on the Buffalo State Tigers. That matchup will be a little more eventful, as the Tigers and Knights are neck and neck in the SUNYAC standings.
The Knights will need to drive in more runs and to keep the bats popping to come out successful. The team has recalibrated their offense since the losses to Oneonta, according to Sylvester.
“We will be concentrating this upcoming week on preparing to hit the ball harder and more consistently,” Sylvester said.
Although the Knights are in need of a few wins, Sylvester has remained optimistic and enthusiastic about his team.
“We are a young team who is learning how to play together as the season has gone on. The communication has been something we have worked on and are getting better at doing,” Sylvester said. “We have an uphill battle left to make the playoffs, but I believe if we can win five games in the next eight games we will make it to the SUNYACs.”