Post Classifieds
Ladies warm up in cold weather
By Chris Dierken
On April 3, 2013
Despite cold temperatures and even a short snow shower Friday, the Buffalo State
softball team opened SUNYAC play at home last weekend, splitting four games.
On Friday, the Bengals fell to New Paltz, 3-1 and 6-5. Buffalo State mounted a late
comeback attempt in both games, but fell just short.
In the first game, the Bengals trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Senior outfielder Brieanna Brink's RBI single cut the lead to two, and freshman
Stephanie Novo's single during the next at-bat put the tying run on base.
The comeback failed, however, as the next batter grounded out to second base,
sealing the New Paltz victory.
"We, for some reason, just didn't come out with enough energy," senior Breanna
Fenski said. "We just weren't able to get that extra run or those timely hits when we
needed them, and that really hurt us."
In the second game of the twin bill, Buffalo State jumped out to a 2-0 lead before
the Hawks tied it up in the fourth inning. New Paltz struck again in the fifth inning,
knocking in four runs and leaving the Bengals in need of a rally once again.
Buffalo State looked to be on the comeback trail in the bottom of the sixth, when
three straight RBI hits trimmed the lead to one. In the seventh inning, the Bengals
were able to get the tying run to second base, but once again could not score the
runner.
"We definitely didn't have a good start to either of those games," head coach Marie
Curran said. "... Losing the two games to New Paltz was disappointing, I think we
should have at least won one of them."
For as much as the Bengals struggled offensively on Friday, they made up for it on
Saturday, defeating Oneonta 9-1 and 10-7.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Buffalo state sprinted out to a 7-0 lead as they
batted around in the opening frame. Senior catcher Lindsay Goff led the way with a
three-run home run.
Pitcher Maddie Coneys was able to hold strong the whole game, allowing just one
run on five hits through five innings in guiding Buffalo State to the easy victory in
the shortened game.
The late game started off much differently, as the Bengals fell behind 5-1 through
the first two innings. They were able to come on strong in the fourth inning, tying
the game at five.
The Red Dragons took the lead back with one run in the top of the fifth, but the
Bengals answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 10-6 lead.
Oneonta managed to score one run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Coneys
thwarted their comeback bid, getting the last out with two runners in scoring
position to seal the victory for Buffalo State.
Brink said the difference between Friday and Saturday was the Bengals' mentality at
the plate.
"We did a very good job picking better pitches, being more aggressive up there,
being patient, moving runners along and executing things better," she said.
Brink finished the weekend with a .667 average with five runs and three RBIs. She
was named Buffalo State Athlete of the Week and SUNYAC Softball Player of the
Week. Coneys pitched 15 innings, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 10.
Through the first third of the season, Brink has been a pleasant surprise for the
Bengals. She leads the team with a .432 batting average and 11 runs scored, and is
currently riding a six-game hitting streak, while mostly hitting in the ninth spot in
the lineup.
Goff said that Brink's success may seem surprising to people outside of the team, but
it doesn't surprise any of her teammates.
"She works her butt off, so it didn't come as a surprise to any of us, " she said.
Brink agreed, but said she is more focused on the team winning than anything else.
"You know what? I did (expect success). I'm going to be honest - I was ready for
blood," she said. "It's nice, but stats don't mean anything unless you win as a team. If
I can help in any way that's great, but I just want to win in the end."
Curran added that having Brink hitting so well from the ninth spot in the lineup
brings an added dimension to the Bengals' lineup.
"Interestingly, more often than not your No. 9 hitter leads off innings, except for
obviously your first at-bat of the game," Curran said. "We look at our lineup a little
differently than if we were top-loaded. I think we're very lucky that one through
nine, we have a lot of talent."
Brink and the Bengals will look to build on their two-game winning streak
Wednesday when they host a doubleheader against R.I.T. The first game is
scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
Chris Dierken can be reached by email at dierken.record@live.com and on Twitter
@cdierken.
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