Rochester, NY – Sage's softball team travelled to Nazareth College for their final pair of Empire 8 contests on the 2018 season. Nazareth took the first game 6-3, but the Gators rallied and picked up the win in the second game, downing the Golden Flyers, 9-2. Sage caps the year with a 10-15 overall record, while finishing 4-10 in their first season in the Empire 8. Nazareth is now 10-18 overall and 3-9 in the league with a pair of games still left to play.
Game # 1 Nazareth 6-3 Sage
In a see-saw battle the game saw two ties and three lead changes before the Golden Flyers added the go ahead effort in the bottom of the fifth adding three runs and taking the game, 6-3.
Junior Kiersten Duncan (Millerton, NY/Taconic Hills) gave the Gators life with her solo homerun in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 1-1.
In the fourth inning, sophomore Amanda Kiriakos (Yonkers, NY/Saunders Trade & Technical) had a lead-off double to open the inning and graduate performer Katy Rimawi (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) reached on an error that allowed Kikiakos to move to third. Sophomore catcher Brittany Brooks (North Bangor, NY/Salmon River Central) had an RBI sacrifice fly to drive in Kiriakos, while sophomore Mikayla Culnan (West Sand Lake, NY/Emma Willard School) had an RBI double down the left field line to drive in Rimawi and tie the game at 3-3 headed to the bottom of the fourth.
Nazareth took the lead for good when three runs in the bottom of the fifth and Sage could not answer back.
For the game, Culnan was 2-3 with a double and an RBI, while Duncan was 1-2 with a run scored, an RBI and a home run, her first of the year.
For the Gators, rookie Katerina Lagace (Newington, CT/Newington) took the loss dropping to 3-7 on the year after allowing 12 hits with three earned runs. She struck out three and walked four in the game.
Game # 2 Sage 9-2 Nazareth
Nazareth jumped out to a 1-0 lead adding a single run in the bottom of the first and then led 2-0 after scoring another run in the bottom of the second.
Down 2-0, Sage took a commanding lead pushing seven runs across the plate in the top half of the fourth inning.
Among the many highlights of the inning, Rimawi added a two RBI double, while senior Alexa Silk (Freehold, NY/Greenville) had an RBI single and a pair of stolen bases to break the career stolen base mark with her 66th career stolen base.
Brooks added a two RBI homerun and Duncan added an RBI single to break open the game.
In the top of the seventh inning, Culnan went deep with a two RBI blast for her first home run at Sage.
Senior hurler Amy Hart (St. Johnsville, NY/Little Falls) collected the win for the Gators as she fanned five with one walks and no earned runs off four hits.
Sunday's action marked the close of some of Sage's talented players as three players finished their Gators careers. Katy Rimawi, Alexa Silk and pitcher Amy Hart made their presence known in their time in a Sage uniform.
Silk broke Sage's career stolen base record as she passed Kristen Beikirch's 65 stolen base mark with a pair of stolen bases in the second game. For her time at Sage, she was 66-71 on stolen base tries. Silk added a .416 career batting average, which ranks fifth all-time at Sage. She played in 132 games (No. 6), with 129 starts and added 447 at bats (4th). She was third with 186 career hits, fifth in doubles (36), fourth in triples (9), second in home runs (17), while adding 82 RBIs (8th).
Rimawi connected for .339 career batting average in 141 games played with 138 starts. She is fourth in games played, while standing fifth in at-bats (437), sixth in hits (148), 3rd in doubles (40), fifth in home runs (14), while adding 103 career runs scored (No. 5). Rimawi added 42 career walks (No. 5), while stealing 19 bases, which ranks 11th. Both are current candidates for the 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-District Softball Team.
Hart, who played two seasons for the Gators wraps up with a 3.18 career ERA (No. 6), while appearing in 44 games (12th ). She added 32 complete games (tied for seventh), while working in 244.0 innings, which ranks 11th. She also added 226 career strikeouts and moved into the No. 2 spot ahead of Lindsay Brace and Katie Kovage with 222. Hart also had 20 career wins which is tied for seventh best with Rachel Smith.