Saratoga Springs, NY--- The Sage Colleges' softball team travelled to Skidmore College for a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday. The two teams split action as the host Thoroughbreds took the first game 5-0 and the Gators took the nightcap, 16-2. Sage improves to 17-5, while Skidmore is now 11-11 on the season.
While Sage dropped the first game to Skidmore, junior pitcher Kelsey Newberg (New Britain, CT/New Britain) broke Sage's single-season strikeout record in the action as she fanned five. She broke the mark set in 2004 by Maria DeNovio (72) as she now has 74 and is edging even closer to breaking Sage's career strikeout record as well. Newberg now has 142, just five behind the record of 147 held by Kristin Hazelton (147).
In the opener, Sam Crose tossed a four-hit shutout with eight strikeouts to improve to 7-4. After a pair of errors and a fielder's choice loaded the bases in the second, freshman Katie Amo drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Carol Brown singled home a pair of runs to make it a 3-0 game.
The Thoroughbreds added two more insurance runs in the sixth behind a sacrifice fly from Julia Martin and Julia Schwartz scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.
Newberg took the loss, allowing five runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out five in the complete game effort. She drops to 9-4 on the year.
In the nightcap, the Gators got out to an early lead on a two-run homerun from junior Rachel Smith (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane). Skidmore answered back in the bottom of the second on a Martin RBI double and tied it up in the third when Abby Shea scored on an error.
Sage took the lead for good in the fourth on a three-RBI double from Newberg and added two more in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead. The offense came alive in the seventh as they put up eight runs behind homeruns from Smith and rookie Kristen Beikirch (Brockport, NY/Brockport), picking up the 16-2 win and the split. The pair now have five homers each on the season and are within striking distance of the single-season home run mark of six held by both Kellie Jones (2009) and Maria Pasquarelli (2008).
Smith went 4-for-4 with two homeruns, five RBI and three runs scored while also picking up the win in the circle. Newberg finished with five RBI and Chantal Ceragioli (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) went 4-for-4 with five runs scored. Smith improves to 8-2 overall after fanning five and scattering five hits with just one earned run in the outing.
Abby Fuhrman suffered the loss, tossing 3.2 innings, while Katie Sorochka went 3.1 innings in relief.
The Gators return to action on Thursday hosting local rival Union College for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader.
