Oneonta, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill softball team celebrated Senior Day with a dominant doubleheader sweep of VTSU-Johnson on Saturday afternoon, staying perfect in NAC West Division play at 10-0. The Fighting Tigers took game one 8-3 before cruising to a 12-4 run-rule win in game two.

Game One: Cobleskill 8, VTSU-Johnson 3
The Tigers jumped out early and never trailed, scoring three runs in the first inning to set the tone.

Senior Mackenzie Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, two runs scored, and a double. Kylie Rattigan (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a double. First-year Avery Prievo (Camden, NY) recorded two hits in four at-bats. Hannah Dean (Ripley, ME/Dexter) drove in two runs with a double, and Gabriella Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

Cobleskill came out swinging in the first. Prievo crossed the plate on a single to center from Mackenzie Wendelken, and Dean followed with a double that drove in both Wendelken sisters to make it 3-0.

After Johnson got on the board in the third, Cobleskill answered with four runs across the third and fourth innings. Wendelken doubled to bring home Rattigan, then Neeser added a sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Rattigan returned the favor with a single that brought in Kailee DiGiacco (Spencerport, NY) and Brooke Irizarry (Florida, NY/S.S. Seward) to make it 7-1.

The Tigers added one more run in the fifth for an 8-2 lead. Jaydaci Chamberlain (Northborough, Mass) threw a complete game in the circle, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits while striking out four over seven innings.

Game Two: Cobleskill 12, VTSU-Johnson 4 (6 Innings)
Cobleskill's offense exploded in game two, fueled by a monster eight-run third inning capped by a grand slam from Avery Prievo.

Prievo crushed her first career home run in style, launching a grand slam off the scoreboard to ignite the Tigers. She finished the game 1-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored. Mackenzie Wendelken stayed perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two runs batted in. Gabriella Wendelken doubled twice and drove in a run. Jenna Smyczynski (East Aurora, NY) had a strong game from the top of the lineup, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Madelynn Orosz (Seymour, CT/Nonnewaug) added a 2-for-2 performance and an RBI, while Rattigan, Aliyah Neeser (Forest Lake, Minn), and DiGiacco each collected one RBI.

Brielle Dixon (Millville, NJ) earned her first collegiate win, allowing four runs on six hits over five innings with three strikeouts. Orosz pitched one inning of relief to close out the game.

Cobleskill struck first in the opening inning when Smyczynski scored on a wild pitch. DiGiacco added a sacrifice fly in the second to bring home Dean for a 2-0 lead. Then came the third inning surge. With the bases loaded, Prievo crushed a ball over the left field fence, scoring Neeser and both Wendelken sisters. The Tigers added three more runs before the inning was over to take a 10-0 lead.

Wendelken knocked in DiGiacco with a single in the fourth. Johnson responded with a four-run fifth inning to stay alive, but in the sixth, Orosz delivered a run-scoring single to bring home Rattigan and seal the 12-4 run-rule victory.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers wrap up their NAC regular season on Sunday, May 4, with a doubleheader against VTSU-Lyndon. First pitch is set for 10:00 a.m. at Cooperstown All-Star Village.