Link to Skyline Tournament Pairings
Old Westbury, NY–The Sage Colleges' softball team travelled to SUNY-Old Westbury for the final Skyline Conference double header of the season. Needing to win both to return to the Skyline Tournament, Sage did just that sweeping the Panthers, 6-1 and 14-0 in five innings. Sage improves to 17-13 overall and posted a 9-5 mark in league action this season.
Game 1: Sage 6-1 Old Westbury
Sage's sophomore Jess Adams (Nassau, NY/Columbia) added a double and was 2-3 with a pair of RBIs to lead the Gators at the plate, while rookie Alana Vandenburgh (Wynantskill, NY/Columbia) was 2-4 with two runs scored. Sage racked up nine hits in the first game with the Panthers.
Junior pitcher Katie Kovage (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) broke the career victory mark as she won the match-up and fanned four, while allowing just one earned run off seven hits. Now 8-5 this season she has 29 career wins to hold the Gator career win mark, while ranking No. 2 in career strikeouts with 165. Kovage broke the record set by Kelsey Newberg with 28 victories and now trails Newberg as she holds the strikeout mark with 261.
Game 2: Sage 14-0 Old Westbury (5 innings)
In the night cap, Sage took a 4-0 lead after the squad's first series of at bats. Sage led 9-0 after two innings and racked up a key shutout win, besting Old Westbury 14-0 in five innings.
Adams tallied two doubles, while junior Morgan Dunn (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) had a double as did sophomore Katie Rimawi (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa). Vandenburg was 2-2 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Rimawi was 3-4 with four RBI's, and scored two runs for the Gators.
Sage's senior catcher Kristen Beikirch (Brockport, NY/Brockport) broke the program's record for most career games played as she played in her 153rd game, breaking the mark set last year by Hillary Faas (151). Beikirch continues to add to her career records in additional categories as she has mark for most hits (216), most runs scored (150), most at-bats (517), most stolen bases (63), and owns a .418 career batting average as the program's only two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Sophomore pitcher Lindsay Brace (Moriah, NY/Moriah Central) picked up the shutout win as she scattered five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Now 7-7, she has a team-best 51 strikeouts this season.
Sage is back in action on April 21 for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Utica College.
Sage returns to the Skyline Conference tournament and will open play facing the top seeded Knights of Mt. St. Mary College on Friday in the 2015 Skyline Conference Tournament.
After compiling a 12-2 record in conference play, Mount Saint Mary is the top seed for the double-elimination 2015 Skyline Softball Championship, which will be held Apr. 24-26 on the campus of Mount Saint Mary College.
The Knights (17-9) are batting .335 as a team, with senior catcher Stephanie Karcher leading the way with a .435 average and 27 runs scored. In addition, freshman Cindy Connoly (.411) has 20 RBI while registering an 8-5 mark in the circle with a 1.79 earned run average.
MSMC will face fourth-seeded Sage (17-13) on Friday, Apr. 24, in the opening round. Having secured a berth in the Skyline Championship for the fourth consecutive year, the Gators are led by senior Kirsten Beikirch and freshman second baseman Alexa Silk. Beikirch recently surpassed the 200-hit milestone for her career, while Silk leads the team with five home runs and has 12 multi-hit performances on the year.
Friday's opening round will also feature No. 2 seed and four-time defending champion Farmingdale State (18-12) squaring off against third-seeded Mount Saint Vincent. The two teams both finished with identical 10-4 records in league action, but FSC earned the No. 2 seed by virtue of the league's tie-breaker procedures.
Senior outfielder Michelle Mongiello (.467) leads the Rams in both doubles (15) and RBI (29), while junior catcher Meagan Anderson (.416) has scored a team-best 27runs. Mount Saint Vincent (14-18) is led by the dynamic duo of Rachel and Mackenzie Heizer. Just a freshman, Rachel leads the Dolphins with a .418 batting average and has cracked 17 doubles, while sophomore Mackenzie has 33 RBI while posting a 9-6 record in the circle with 116 strikeouts.
2015 Skyline Softball Championship
Friday, Apr. 24
Game 1 - No. 4 Sage at No. 1 Mount Saint Mary
Game 2 - No. 2 Farmingdale State vs. No. 3 Mount Saint Vincent
Saturday, Apr. 25
Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5 - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Sunday, Apr. 26
Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7 - If necessary
Game times TBA