Expectations were high as the RPI softball team was the top-ranked squad and host of the ECAC tournament six weeks ago. Head Coach Erika Lewis has preached all season that expectations are never a good thing, and unfortunately, she was right.
The top-ranked Red Hawks were swept out of the tournament on the first day, falling to fourth-ranked SUNY Geneseo 5-3 in the first game and 3-2 to second-seeded St. John Fisher in extra innings.
“We just weren’t hitting as well as we could,” explained Lewis. “We hadn’t played in two weeks which definitely hurt us.”
In the Geneseo game, the Blue Knights struck first, scoring two runs in the third inning. Rensselaer answered in the fourth, after a Katherine Valenta sacrifice fly with the bases loaded cut the lead in half.
That would be as close as RPI would get. In the next inning, Blue Knight right fielder Keaghan Reed blasted a two-run homer to left center to extend the lead to 4-1.
“That one hit got us,” Lewis said of the Reed homerun. “It was a bad pitch on Amy [Huling]’s part, but you can’t win if your offense isn’t producing.”
The Red Hawk offense did not produce, striking out six times and mustering only two hits off of Geneseo sophomore Audrey Kuhn.
Later in the day, a dejected RPI team took on the St. John Fisher Cardinals looking to avoid an early exit from the tournament. Unfortunately, the Red Hawks’ hitting woes continued, this time managing only three hits and striking out 11 times.
Again, RPI let their opponent strike first. Fisher right fielder Kate Maurer led off the game with a double and was later driven in by teammate Michelle Dorscheid to get the Cardinals out to an early 1-0 lead.
Rensselaer and Fisher would trade runs in the fourth and fifth innings leaving the score 2-1 entering the final two frames. After a Steph Vanek triple, junior Huling sent a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Vanek to score and tie the game at 2-2.
Neither team could score in the seventh, so the game was sent into extra innings. St. John Fisher wasted no time as third baseman Jaclyn Hughes singled home teammate Sara Dresser in the first extra frame to put the Cardinals up 3-2.
RPI had no answer in its half of the inning. After freshman Ann Cosgrove reached third base with only one out, the Red Hawk bats shut down, leaving the tying run a mere 60 feet away.
Now, the Rensselaer team will have to wait until next year for redemption. After starting the season 17-2-1, the Red Hawks stumbled down the stretch, going 1-4-1 over their last six games, including a sweep at the hands of bitter rival Union.
“We gained a lot of experience this year,” commented Lewis. “And we’re really looking forward to building on the successes we had.”
The softball team only graduated one player this year, first baseman and co-captain Lizzie Vitaliano. Although she will most certainly be missed, the return of injured shortstop Shannon Quinn and the addition of several promising freshmen have Lewis very optimistic about next year’s possibilities.
“The talent of our incoming freshmen will be evident right off the bat,” boasted Lewis. “It’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
