NEW PALTZ, NY– The Buffalo State softball team finished day two of the SUNYAC Tournament with a pair of thrilling wins over Oneonta and host-New Paltz to advance to the SUNYAC Championship tomorrow against Cortland on Mary Gray Deane Field.
GAME ONE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 4, Oneonta – 3
LOCATION: Mary Gray Deane Field – New Paltz, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 27-12 (12-6 SUNYAC), Oneonta: 14-26 (11-7 SUNYAC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Deme Kellogg (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) picked up three hits including a go-ahead two run hit in the sixth inning.
- Izzy Pezdek (Lancaster, NY/Grand Island) continued her strong postseason on the mound pitching all seven innings allowing six hits with three strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Pezdek got the Bengals on the board in the first inning with an RBI hit to plate the first run of the game.
- In the top of the third, Oneonta plated a pair of runs and added another in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
- In the bottom half of the fourth, Kellogg came through with an RBI hit to pull the Bengals within a run.
- After a gritty at-bat from Kellogg in the bottom of the sixth, she laced a base hit to center field to plate the tying run. After a defensive miscue in center field, the go-ahead run scored as Kellogg slid into third base to give the Bengals the lead.
- The Red Dragons were retired 1-2-3 by Pezdek as the Bengals advanced in the tournament with the win.
FOR THE FOES
- Emily Brown had two hits for the Red Dragons while Ella Kean drove in two runs.
GAME TWO BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 1, New Palrz – 0
LOCATION: Mary Gray Dean Field – New Paltz, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 28-12 (12-6 SUNYAC), New Paltz: 31-10 (17-1 SUNYAC)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Mya Hurley (Williamsville, NY/Amherst) drove in the lone run for the Bengals.
- Pezdek continued her dominance on the mound with a complete game shutout featuring six strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both sides were locked in a pitchers' duel as neither team had a base runner reach third until the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out for the Hawks, Pezdek picked up a strike out and secured a final ground out to escape the jam.
- Hurley came up in the top of the sixth with a runner on third and broke the scoreless tie with a sac fly.
- In the bottom of the seventh, New Paltz threatened, however, the Bengals were able to hold them off the scoreboard to eliminate the host-Hawks and advance to the SUNYAC Championship for the first time since the 2023 season.
FOR THE FOES
- Ava Thys led the Hawks with two hits in the effort.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will battle Cortland in the SUNYAC Championship beginning tomorrow at 4:00 pm. With the double elimination format, Buffalo State will need to beat Cortland twice to win the conference title.