Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Cards shine in first SUNYAC games, winning three of four

The Plattsburgh State softball team (12-10) returns from a successful weekend play against Oneonta, New Paltz and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The Cardinals went a solid 4-2 over the week, sweeping their series against Oneonta and then splitting doubleheaders against New Paltz and Rensselaer Institute. Now the Cards have to focus on their next opponent, the Brockport Golden Eagles (8-8).

“A huge component to our wins this weekend was our hitting,” sophomore third baseman Amy Glashoff said. “There was one game where every batter 1-9 got a hit.”

The bats were alive for the Cards as they collected 55 hits as a unit while driving in 39 runs.

Jackie Decker shined this past week, as she was name the Eastern College Athletic Conference player of the week for her efforts.

Decker batted a scorching .889 average with six runs-batted-in during the PSUC’s sweep of SUNY Oneonta.

Confidence was at a high for the Cards, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to grow.

During their series with the Red Dragons, the PSUC was clicking on all cylinders which lead to its sweep of the Dragons.

“Although our team is very confident and performing well, we need to be more consistent in everything
we are doing,” sophomore catcher Jennifer Groat said. “The games we win are the games that, up and down the line-up, is hitting well.”

Doubleheaders had no ill effect on the team. The team has found a way to keep itself physically and mentally prepared.

“Doubleheaders are tough, but they are really the only way to get in all our games,” senior first baseman Hope VanBrocklin said. “We just make sure to really stretch, eat well, and get as much rest as we can to be game-day ready.”

Their series against the New Paltz Hawks (5-11) did not go as planned, splitting both games. However, the defense made sure to hold their ground when they needed it most in their 4-2 victory in game one.

“Our defense was also very strong as we made very few errors and our pitchers gave strong outings as well,” Glashoff said.

Their defense has been able to come big when needed, but with an average victory margin of two runs per week may cause some concern. However, a win is still a win. When called upon to make plays, the Cards make sure to always answer.

By having stellar pitching so far from Katie Pitkin (7-3) and Taylor Smith (2-1), the Cards present major problems for their upcoming opponents.

If they continue to carry this momentum in SUNYAC play, (3-1), then it further solidifies their spot as a top team in the conference.

It’s still early in the season and the split against Rensselaer Institute (10-4) should cause no concern. They managed to keep both games close, losing game one 7-6, but ending off on a high note by winning game two 6-5.

“Whenever we get our bats going, everything else seems to come together,” freshman pitcher Rhea Pitkin said. “We become a lot more confident and the energy seems to always increase.”

With three series completed, PSUC must now shift its focus onto the Brockport Golden Eagles.

The Cards will face off against the Golden Eagles in a doubleheader, Sat., April 8 in Geneseo, starting at 3 p.m.

The Golden Eagles are currently 0-2 in SUNYAC play, so this is an excellent opportunity for PSUC to improve to 5-1 in conference play this season.

Email John Peralta at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com

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