SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference's (SUNYAC) first weekly softball honors of 2021 go to Buffalo State's Taylor Benton and Geneseo's Lauren Kersch as the Athlete and Pitcher of the Week respectively.
The sophomore health and wellness major helped lead the Bengals to a 3-1 week, hitting .583 (7 for 12) with a double, two triples, a home run, five RBIs and eight runs scored. Benton was 4 for 6 with two triples in the doubleheader sweep against Houghton last Wednesday, and then added three more hits, including going 2 for 3 with a double and a homer in Saturday's 8-7 win in the late game against Alfred University. The starting shortstop also had 12 assists and five putouts in the field.
Kersch twirled a one-hitter in her collegiate debut, leading the Knights to a 6-1 victory over Rochester on Saturday, March 20. Kersch faced one over the minimum, allowing just one run on one hit while recording one strikeout and no walks. The first-year pitcher forced the YellowJackets into 10 groundouts, and allowed just six balls out of the infield. Kersch sits at 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA
