BUFFALO, N.Y. – With the upcoming SUNYAC Championship Tournament on the horizon, the Buffalo State softball team looks to be one of the teams competing in May as the Bengals will finish the regular season at home against Potsdam and Plattsburgh. A Friday afternoon matchup with Potsdam and a Saturday showdown with Plattsburgh stand in the way of the seventh-place Bengals, who look to clinch a berth to the six-team tournament field.
 
FRIDAY LINKS
Live Stats/Live Stats
Video
 
SATURDAY LINKS
Live Stats/Live Stats
Video
 
PATH TO THE POSTSEASON

• The Bengals are in a three-way tie with Brockport and Oswego for seventh place with a 4-10 record and eight conference points (two for a win).
• The Bengals also sit six points behind fifth-place Plattsburgh (14 points) and four behind sixth-place Fredonia (12 points).
• Brockport will travel to Oswego and Cortland this weekend, while Oswego will host Brockport and league-leading Geneseo.
• The Bengals will clinch a playoff berth with a sweep of Plattsburgh and Potsdam, as well as one loss by Fredonia.
• The Bengals can jump to as high as fifth place with a weekend sweep (4-0) of Potsdam and Plattsburgh, as well as 1-3 weekends by Plattsburgh and Fredonia, regardless of Brockport or Oswego's record this weekend. Fredonia hosts Plattsburgh on Friday.
• The Bengals can theoretically make the playoffs with a 3-1 or 2-2 record but would need a lot of help.

 
BREAKING DOWN THE BENGALS

• The Bengals come off a doubleheader split at Brockport last Saturday, falling 8-7 but recovering in game two with a 5-3 win.
• Kayla Wolinski (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) leads the conference in extra-base hits this season. The senior third baseman has 18 doubles, including seven doubles in her last six games and is riding a nine-game hitting streak. She was named SUNYAC PrestoSports Softball Athlete of the Week on Monday.
• Sarah Congelosi (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) is riding a ten-game hitting streak, tied for the longest hitting streak on the team this season. Over her past ten games, Congelosi is hitting 15-for-32 (.469), with seven runs scored. 
• Oriana Castello (Pearl River, NY/Nanuet) has reached base ten times this season on hit by pitches, the most in the SUNYAC. The senior outfielder would tie the Buffalo State single-season record if she is hit twice more this year.
• Buffalo State is 38-for-40 on stolen base attempts this season, with Castello (24-for-26) and Congelosi (8-for-8) leading the way.
• Deme Kellogg (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) has a .979 fielding percentage behind the plate and has thrown out three runners on nine attempts in conference play.
• It's senior weekend for the Bengals, as they look to honor a five-person senior class of Wolinski, Lauren Jolly (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo), Taylor Benton (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls), Sydney McIntosh (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West), and Carli Bogue (Elba, NY/Elba). The Bengals will honor the class before Saturday's contest against Plattsburgh.

 
A LOOK AT THE BEARS

• Potsdam (0-29, 0-14 SUNYAC) is hungry to notch its first win of the season, which would break a 358-day drought.
• The Bears were swept in a pair of contested games against Canton, 4-2 and 7-6, last Tuesday.
• Vanessa Brandt is the top hitter for the Bears this season, batting .302 with a team-high nine doubles and two triples.
• The Bears have caught eight runners attempting to steal this season, the third most in the SUNYAC.

 
CANVASSING THE CARDINALS

• Plattsburgh (11-15, 7-7 SUNYAC) enters the weekend in fifth place in the league standings.
• The Cardinals earned a crucial split on Monday, defeating Oswego 6-2 before being shutout 8-0 in six innings.
• The Cardinals are third as a team in team earned run average (3.18) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.75).
• Kristina Maggiacomo leads the conference with 10 complete games, while Julia Golino leads the regulars with a 2.57 ERA.
• Plattsburgh has a pair of .300 hitters in Kristen Langdon (.356) and Golino (.310).

 
THE HISTORY

• Buffalo State holds a 35-1 advantage over Potsdam all-time. The Bengals are on an 18-game winning streak against the Bears, stretching back to 2010.
• Buffalo State holds a 25-22 advantage over Plattsburgh all-time. The Bengals and Cardinals split the season series in 2019, including a 12-5 victory at Plattsburgh on April 14.