The SUNY Oneonta softball season has begun and yesterday the Red Dragons opened with a pair of victories out in Tuscon, AZ.  Oneonta defeated Hiram, 7-5, in its first game of the day and then pounded Northland 26-2 in its second game.
 
Hiram Recap
After falling behind, 2-0, in the top of the first inning, the Red Dragons posted seven runs in the next four innings to seize control of the contest.  Sophomore Alyssa Bluethgen (Commack/Commack) pitched 6-1/3 innings of eight-hit ball recording four strikeouts and allowing five runs to pick up her initial win of the 2018 campaign.
 
Junior Selena Ruiz (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) and sophomore Brooke Corbett (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) each collected two hits to pace the offense.  Corbett along with junior Dana Del Genio (New Hartford/New Hartford) smacked triples in the game, as the Red Dragons collected four extra-base hits.
 
Del Genio scored Oneonta's first run in the bottom of the first.  Del Genio was hit by a pitch and then came all the way around to score on a throwing error by the catcher on an attempted steal.
 
Oneonta added a pair of runs in the second inning to grab a 3-2 lead.  Sophomore Bailey Schwark (Port Ewen/Kingston) and freshman Amanda Sexton (Port Jervis/Port Jervis) hit back-to-back doubles to start the inning.  Corbett scored an unearned run with two outs.
 
In its three-run fourth inning, Corbett tripled to start the inning and then scored on a single by freshman Kathryn Emig (Stony Brook/Ward Melville).  Del Genio then tripled to knock in freshman Kristen Collins (Hicksville/Holy Trinity) before scoring on a single by Ruiz.
 
Northland Recap
Oneonta pounded Northland pitching for 25 hits including three hits each from juniors Lauren Sabatino (Bayville/Locust Valley) and Kaycee Simpson (Blossvale/Camden Central) and freshman Caroline Koch (New City/Clarkstown South).  Koch hit a pair of dingers including a grand slam in the second inning and finished the game with seven runs batted in.  Simpson and senior Cori McFall (Pleasant Valley/Arlington) each drove in four runs.
 
Sabatino, freshman Meaghan Raliegh and McFall each homered in the game for Oneonta.  Raliegh and McFall each had three-run homers while Sabatino hit a solo shot during the 14-run top of the first.
 
Del Genio, Raliegh, McFall, Schwark and Collins all collected two hits apiece.
 
Sophomore Julia Calabro (Wantagh/St. John the Baptist) pitched four innings and struck out nine batters to pick up her first win of the season.