Junior pitcher Taylor Moore winds up for a pitch on Friday April 13 against Buffalo State College. The women hope to add on to their seven-game victory streak this weekend, as they prepare for six games between Friday April 20 and Sunday April 22. (Annalee Bainnson/photo editor)
The Geneseo softball team has had to fight both their opponents and the weather this season. The Knights have still managed to compile wins and currently sit at third in the SUNYAC with a 7-1 conference record and a 18-4 record overall.
The women are coming off a doubleheader against SUNY Fredonia that took place on Wednesday April 18. They left with victories in both games. The Knights won by scores of 4-3 and 7-0, respectively. The team is currently on a seven-game winning streak, which they attribute to their success on the mound and at the plate according to sophomore infielder Maddison Tucker.
“Honestly, our pitching has been stellar. They’ve had three or four shutouts and that helps us automatically because no runs cross the plate,” Tucker said. “That and a combination of really solid hitting. We’ve just been producing a lot of runs.”
This was certainly the case over the past weekend when, in the two games combined, the Knights produced 12 runs and allowed only three, recording a shutout in the second contest. The offensive was highlighted by junior outfielder Alyssa Persich, who recorded four hits on the weekend and three runs for the Knights.
The women have been successful in sweeping their opponents on game days, and the team believes coming away with two wins from their doubleheaders will set them up for success in the postseason. The Knights hope to qualify and eventually win the SUNYAC Tournament.
“Our ultimate goal is SUNYACs. We want to make it and hopefully win it,” Tucker said. “If we just keep the momentum that we have going, I think there’s a good chance with the way the division has been. Everyone’s been splitting with each other, but we’ve only split once.”
This is a team that is certainly capable of the goals they have set for themselves. Despite the weather causing a slew of cancelations, the women still have an upbeat attitude about the rest of the season. The weather issues have created a rather hectic end to the schedule for the Knights, playing games in eight of the next 13 days, all doubleheaders, to make 16 total games.
The Knights have a weekend full of doubleheaders in store. They face SUNY New Paltz on Friday April 20, SUNY Oswego on Saturday April 21 and SUNY Cortland on Sunday April 22.
With six total games against conference opponents in the next few days, the Knights can spring board themselves to the top of the SUNYAC standings if they perform well. The team will try to avoid splitting games to strengthen their conference record. If the women continue to pitch like they have and get runs across the plate, the sky is the limit.
Depending on whether the women can successfully fight through the chaos that is their schedule, they should be ready for anything once the SUNYAC Tournament rolls around, which is set to begin on May 3.