Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Thurs., April 26, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Softball

Bengals rally to complete SUNYAC sweep

FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Buffalo State was down to its final out when Jolene Banach (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) homered to force extra innings in the second game of a SUNYAC doubleheader against Fredonia State.

The Bengals (21-7, 11-3 SUNYAC) then scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the last of the eighth for a 5-4 road win. They won the opener, 11-5.

Banach homered to dead center off Casey Mazurek (Dunkirk), who was one out away from closing out her collegiate home pitching career with a win. It was Banach's third hit of the game and third RBI; she had a two-run single in the fourth inning.

Buffalo State plated the winning run on singles by Lauren Mruk (Lancaster), Nicole Sabuda (Orchard Park), and winning pitcher Aimee Fisher (Hamburg/Frontier), followed by a wild pitch with two outs.

The teams traded runs in the first inning before Buffalo State took a 3-1 lead in the fourth. The Blue Devils (11-17, 5-11) countered with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth, with a single by Meghan Sullivan (Derby/Lake Shore) and a double by Lisa Curtis (Greece/Greece Arcadia) figuring in the scoring. The Blue Devils took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh on a single by Samantha Voncina (Derby/Lake Shore), a sacrifice bunt by Leigh Palmer (Union City, Pa./Union City), a wild pitch, and a throwing error.

Voncina and Sullivan had two hits each for the Blue Devils, while Mazurek recorded 10 strikeouts. Fisher fanned three.

In the first game, the Bengals took advantage of six Fredonia State errors -- including three in a nine-run inning. Laurie Hutten (Tonawanda/Kenmore West) had four RBI and Katie Melsert (Burnt Hills/Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa) three for Buffalo State while Sabuda, the winning pitcher, had three hits.

For Fredonia State, Voncina hit her school-record seventh homer of the season while Jackie Bryant (Sanborn/Niagara-Wheatfield) and Jaime Ryan (North Chili/Churchville-Chili) had two doubles each.

The Blue Devils are idle Friday before closing out the regular season with SUNYAC doubleheaders Saturday at Oneonta and Sunday at New Paltz.

Athletics Home | Fredonia Home