ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Playing for the right to be the five seed in the First Round of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament on Tuesday, Russell Sage College dropped both ends of this afternoon's doubleheader at Nazareth. The Golden Flyers took the twinbill, originally scheduled for Sunday in Albany, but moved to Nazareth due to the weekend weather forecast, by scores of 7-3 and 7-6.
Sophomore infielder Annalise Tyler (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) and junior catcher Emma Heartquist (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) paced the RSC offense in its regular season finale. Tyler, who will head into the postseason atop the Conference with 58 hits, went 2-for-4 with a run scored in each contest. Heartquist went a combined 4-for-7 with a run scored and two RBI. The co-captain went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the first game.
In the circle, junior pitcher Leah Madore (Williamsville, VT/Brattleboro Union) became the program's single-season strikeout leader this afternoon. The righthander (9-10) fanned seven Golden Flyers across 6.2 innings in the opener to break the standard of 154 K's that she had set last spring. Madore, currently sitting third in the E8 with 156 strikeouts this season, will go into the playoffs with 368 career strikeouts, also a program record, and 413.2 career innings pitched, the second-most by a Gator. She closed the regular season third in the Conference with 121.0 innings and sixth with a 2.95 ERA.
Nazareth (20-13/14-8 E8) used the longball to take the opener, clearing the fence at its friendly confines five times.
Sophomore infielder Morgan Russso had two of the five homers, including a three-run blast in the top of the first. She went 5-for-8 with five runs scored and five RBI on the day.
Trailing 6-3 after five innings of the nightcap, the Gators rallied with three runs in the sixth to knot the contest. Freshman infielder Kaijah Alexander, who began the day leading the E8 in homers, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and ops, and ranked second in batting average, provided Nazareth with what proved to be the game-winning run with a seventh-inning sac fly. The rookie went a combined 4-for-7 with a run scored and three RBI this afternoon.
RSC freshman pitcher Alina Ferguson (New Windsor, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) (2-9) tallied a career-high nine strikeouts as she went the distance in the second game.
Today's result at Nazareth, combined with those from around the league, means that RSC (16-23/12-10 E8) will now be the six seed in the Tournament. The Gators will host SUNY Poly on Tuesday at a time to be announced.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: RSC swept a home doubleheader from SUNY Brockport on April 27 to secure a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament for the fifth-straight spring…12 returnees combine with eight newcomers on this year's roster…Senior outfielder Madalyn Ring (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls), Tyler, and Madore highlight the returning Gators…Madore and Tyler earned second-team All-E8 honors last spring, while Ring made third-team All-Conference…Madore punched out 154 batters across 174 innings, both single-season program records in 2024...The righty established a new school standard on May 2 at Nazareth, currently 156 and counting...She became the program's all-time leader for career strikeouts in the complete game shutout of visiting Saint John Fisher on April 4…Madore headed into the playoffs with 368 career K's...The righty became just the second Gator pitcher to eclipse 400.0 career innings pitched in the E8 doubleheader sweep at SUNY Poly on April 30...She surpassed 350 career K's on April 29vs. Union...The junior closed the regular season with 156 strikeouts, 121.0 innings pitched and a 2.95 ERA...The marks ranked third, third, and sixth respectively in the Conference...She was chosen the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 6…Madore went 3-0 and whiffed 15 batters across 15.0 scoreless innings…The right-hander tossed no-hitters in the shutout wins at Keuka on April 19 and at Hartwick on April 22…Ring went into the postseason with 56 career stolen bases, good for third in RSC records...She had career hit number 100 on April 29 vs. Union…Tyler began the weekend atop the Conference with 54 hits…RSC opened its spring with eight contests in Florida between March 10-14… Sophomore outfielder Bella Julian (Cicero, NY/Cicero North-Syracuse) led the Gators with a .500 batting average during the time in the "Sunshine State"…She commenced the week with a Conference-best and program single-season record eight triples…Sophomore infielder/outfielder Allison Kenyon (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville), Ring, and Heartquist comprise the team's Leadership Committee.
