ONEONTA — The SUNY Cobleskill softball team closed out their regular season with a bang on Sunday, sweeping a road doubleheader against VTSU-Lyndon to secure a perfect 12-0 record in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play. With the victories, the Fighting Tigers made history by capturing their first-ever undefeated NAC regular season and clinching the NAC West Division title.
Game One: Cobleskill 11, VTSU-Lyndon 8
Cobleskill roared back from behind with a six-run rally in the seventh inning to steal an 11-8 win in the opener.
First-year slugger Hannah Dean (Ripley, ME/Dexter) launched her first collegiate home run — a three-run shot over the left-center fence — to lead the offensive charge. Dean finished 1-for-2 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks.
Kylie Rattigan (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) kept her hot streak alive, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while veteran Jenna Smyczynski (East Aurora, NY) added a 2-for-5 effort with a double and an RBI. Aliyah Neeser (Forest Lake, Minn/Forest Lake Area), Avery Prievo (Camden, NY), and Madelynn Orosz (Seymour, CT/Nonnewaug) each drove in a run, with Prievo adding a double.
Gabriella Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) earned the complete-game win to improve to 6-4 on the season, allowing eight runs on nine hits while striking out eight over seven innings.
The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Smyczynski raced home on a wild pitch to open the scoring, followed by a Prievo sacrifice fly that plated Rattigan. Dean then blew the game open with her towering three-run blast.
Lyndon answered with two in the bottom of the first and chipped away to eventually take a 7-5 lead in the fifth, capitalizing on a solo home run and a Cobleskill miscue.
But the Fighting Tigers weren’t done. In the seventh, Rattigan scored on a wild pitch to spark the rally. A sac fly from Neeser tied the game, and Jaydaci Chamberlain (Northborough, Mass/Norfolk County Ag) crossed the plate on a Hornets error to give Cobleskill the lead. With the bases loaded, the Tigers tacked on three more runs to take control. Wendelken shut the door in the bottom of the frame to secure the comeback victory.
Game Two: Cobleskill 8, VTSU-Lyndon 0 (5 innings)
Cobleskill left no doubt in the nightcap, blanking the Hornets 8-0 in a five-inning run-rule win to complete the sweep and stamp their name in the record books.
Mackenzie Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) powered the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Smyczynski capped off a standout day with a 2-for-3 performance that included three RBIs, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
Madelynn Orosz was dominant in the circle and at the dish, tossing a one-hit shutout to improve to 9-2 while also going 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Prievo added a 2-for-3 day with an RBI, and Laci Prignon (Dryden, NY) reached base in all three plate appearances, going 1-for-1 with two walks.
The Tigers wasted no time again, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Smyczynski scored on a wild pitch and Prievo singled home Rattigan.
In the second, Cobleskill broke it wide open. Smyczynski laced a two-run single to right, and Wendelken followed with a double to left that cleared the bases, pushing the lead to 7-0.
Pitching took over in the middle innings, but the Tigers struck again in the fifth when Smyczynski singled home Orosz to make it 8-0. Orosz then sealed the deal in the bottom half with a quick shutdown inning to lock in the run-rule victory.
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