NEWBURGH, NY – Junior Alexa Silk (Freehold, NY/Greenville) was a single away from a cycle in Sage's 8-0 five inning win over Farmingdale State in the Skyline playoffs Saturday afternoon.
Silk had two RBI's and two runs with her sister Kristen Silk (Freehold, NY/Greenville) adding two of her own RBI's on a bunt and sacrifice fly. Amy Hart (St. Johnsville, NY/Little Falls) and Brittany Brooks (North Bangor, NY/Salmon River Central) each went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run.
Farmingdale State (22-19) was led at the plate by Sierra Cardenales and Allison Dailey with a hit apiece.
Hart (12-11) was credited with the win with six strikeouts and two hits while Jaxie Collard (11-11) picked up the loss for the Rams with two strikeouts.
To start the first game, the Rams had runners on first and second with one out on the board. Hart forced a pop up and strikeout to keep the runners stranded. In the bottom of the first, Alexa Silk led off for the Gators with a triple to leftfield. The junior then scored the first run of the game on an RBI sacrifice bunt from Allison Ford (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville).
After both Hart and Collard retired the sides in the second inning, Farmingdale's Christina Rayfield drew a two out walk in the top of the third. The shortstop was then caught stealing on a heads up play by Brooks at catcher and shortstop Jessica Adams (Nassau, NY/Columbia) for the third out. In the bottom of the inning, Alexa Silk hit a standup double down the leftfield line to put Sage in scoring position for the second time. However, a shallow line drive to rightfield left the second baseman stranded.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sage (21-18) found themselves in scoring position for the third time when Katy Rimawi (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) and Destiny Wierzbicki (Albany, NY/Troy) were on the corners with just one out to spare. Rimawi then scored on a Hart single up the middle to put the Gators up 2-0. Hart's RBI was immediately followed by Brooks single to leftfield that scored Hart and Wierzbicki. Brooks immediately crossed home play the next at-bat on an RBI bunt from Kristen Silk. The centerfielder was followed by a deep home run over the leftfield fence by Alexa Silk to put the Gators up 7-0. Alexa Silk's seventh homer of the season was trailed by singles from Ford and Adams, but a popup to the shortstop ended the inning.
Dailey came up with Farmingdale's second hit of the game on a one out, single up the middle in the top of the fifth. However, a fly out and foul out to Wierzbicki in leftfield left Dailey stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Kiersten Duncan (Millerton, NY/Taconic Hills) led off with a single to right center. After Aanisah Taylor (Great Barrington, MA/Monument Mountain Regional) came on to pinch run, the Gators had runners on the corners curtesy a Wierzbicki single to the shortstop. The next at-bat, Hart singled to leftfield, but Taylor was caught at home on a heads up play by Dailey and Kimberly Basile for the first out. Brooks then hit a single to leftfield to load the bases followed by a Kristen Silk RBI sacrifice fly to inflict an eight-run mercy rule.
Sage is currently facing St. Joseph's – Long Island in a do-or-die semifinal elimination game. The winner takes on Mount Saint Mary tomorrow afternoon in the Skyline Championship finals.
