Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill softball team dropped their opening game of the 2025 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship Tournament on Thursday evening, falling 6-2 to Thomas College at Fighting Tiger Park.

Senior Mackenzie Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) and first-year Hannah Dean (Ripley, ME/Dexter) paced the Cobleskill offense, both going 1-for-3 with an RBI. Wendelken delivered an RBI double in the third inning, while Dean knocked in a run with a base hit to left in the second. Second-year infielder Kylie Rattigan (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) added some spark with a double and a run scored, finishing 1-for-3. Aliyah Neeser (Forest Lake, Minn/Forest Lake Area) chipped in with a 1-for-3 day and a run scored, while Kailee DiGiacco (Spencerport, NY) and Jenna Smyczynski (East Aurora, NY) added singles for the Fighting Tigers.

Cobleskill ace Madelynn Orosz (Seymour, CT/Nonnewaug) took the loss in the circle, dropping to 9-3 on the season. The second-year right-hander worked 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out two. Gabriella Wendelken (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) came on in relief, tossing the final two innings and giving up two runs on two hits.

The Terriers jumped out of the gate early, plating three runs in the top of the first to grab momentum. Cobleskill had a chance to respond in the home half of the inning after a single by Smyczynski, but couldn't cash in. The Tigers broke through in the second when Dean drove in Neeser with a solid single to left. An inning later, Wendelken roped a double into the gap to score Rattigan and make it a 3-2 game.

Thomas answered with a run in the fifth, then tacked on two more insurance runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Despite putting together solid at-bats, the Tigers couldn't mount the late-game comeback.

Up Next:
Cobleskill will look to bounce back on Saturday, May 10, when they face SUNY Delhi in an elimination game. First pitch is TBD due to forecasted inclement weather.