Devils drop pair at Oneonta

Lindsey Forness

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Fredonia's weekend trip ended with 7-1 and 14-6 SUNYAC softball losses Saturday to the Oneonta Red Dragons.

The two setbacks dropped the Blue Devils to 2-6 in the conference -- with all eight games coming over the past four days. They are 6-14 overall.

The Blue Devils had nine hits in the opener with eight different players chipping in. They had back-to-back hits in the second, third, and fourth innings, yet came away with only one run. A single by junior Sarah Cuillo (Blasdell, N.Y. / Frontier) and a double by freshman Cassidy Herman (Maybrook, N.Y. / Valley) preceded a sacrifice fly by junior Erin Mustare (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta).

They left eight runners stranded. Alyssa Morgan (Homer, N.Y./Homer), a senior, had two singles.


Freshman right-hander Emily Shellenberger (Philadelphia, Pa./Little Flower Catholic) took the loss. She pitched the first five innings and allowed eight hits, yet only two earned runs.

The Red Dragons (13-10, 4-2 SUNYAC) closed out the second game by mercy rule in the last of the sixth. In the process, they erased two Fredonia leads.

The rally began when junior Khee Nance (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk) singled, then stole second. No. 2 hitter Leanne Villani (Lake Grove, N.Y. / Lake Ronkonkoma) walked and both she and Nance advanced on a wild pitch. The bases were loaded following a walk to sophomore Katelyn Dennis (Webster, N.Y. / Webster Schroeder), ahead of a two-run double by senior Lindsey Forness (Allegany, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone). Dennis later scored on another wild pitch.

Oneonta answered with two runs in the first and three more in the second to take a 5-3 lead off freshman right-hander Erika Whitney (Harpursville, N.Y. / Harpursville). The Blue Devils scored three times in the fourth to regain the lead, 6-5. A bunt single and Oneonta throwing error put sophomore Nikki Lent (Yaphank, N.Y. / Longwood) on second.

Lent advanced to third on a single by left by freshman Kelly Losito (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), who then stole second. Lent scored on an infield groundout by Nance. The Blue Devils took advantage of two Oneonta throwing errors to score two more runs before the Blue Devils left the bases loaded.

Oneonta wasted no time retaking the lead with four runs in the last of the fourth. They added four more in the fifth and ended the game with one run in the sixth.