The Buffalo State softball team (15-18, 8–10 SUNYAC) fell to SUNY Fredonia (15-21, 8-10 SUNYAC) on Senior Day in their last doubleheader before the SUNYAC Championship Tournament. The five seniors on the team were Sam Schafer, Samantha Kelly, Kaitlyn Schnitzer, Sydney Shuta, and Caitlyn Parsons.

Head coach Jamie Brown was ejected in the top of the fifth inning of the first game.

Game 1, L 6-2
Izzy Pezdek, Emma Hooftallen and Madison Lucas all split time in the circle. Pezdek (7-8) allowed five hits and three runs, along with one strikeout and two walks in two innings.

Hooftallen entered the circle in the third inning and allowed three hits, three runs and a walk in 1.1 innings. Lucas came in as relief and finished the last 3.2 innings allowing two hits, one walk and one strikeout.

Schafer was 2-of-3 at the plate with a run scored while Grace Albano was 1-of-3 and scored an unearned run.

Both of the Bengals’ runs scored in the fifth inning.

Pezdek gave up a home run to Fredonia in the third inning that scored two runs after one run had previously scored on a double to lead 3-0 before Hooftallen was swapped in to pitch.

A double from the Blue Devils with two runners on base scored both to give them a 5-0 advantage over Buffalo State. A single scored another run for Fredonia, who now had a 6-0 lead over the Bengals.

A single to the left side from Albano scored Schafer, who got on base with a double. Sarah Congelosi followed up with a single to move the runners over, but Shuta was called out on her way to third for interfering with the play.

Head coach Jamie Brown protested the interference call and ended up ejected in the fifth inning.

Mya Hurley flied out to right field on the next play and Congelosi moved to second base as Albano scored on a throwing error from the shortstop to trail 6-2.

There were nine hits for Buffalo State and six strikeouts. The Blue Devils had 10 hits and two strikeouts.

Game 2, L 7-4
Schnitzer (1-5) pitched the whole game in the circle as she allowed eight hits and seven runs, four of which were unearned, and had three strikeouts along with three walks.

Three Bengals struck out but the team managed nine hits, including a double and a triple from Sarah Congelosi and a double from Katie Psyzczek.

Congelosi was 2-of-4 in the box with two runs scored while Hurley was 2-of-4 with one run scored and an RBI. Parsons was 2-of-4 with an RBI and Schafer was 1-of-3 with a run scored.

Fredonia scored two runs to start the game off, and Buffalo State sliced their lead in half with a single that moved Congelosi to third, then home on a throwing error, to trail 2-1.

The Blue Devils scored three unearned runs in the top of the second inning to extend their lead over the Bengals. Buff State responded in the bottom of the inning by taking advantage of an error from Fredonia to score Schafer, as Hurley got on base from a fielding error by third.

A sacrifice bunt in the top of the fourth inning scored the sixth run of the game for Fredonia, who now led by four runs over the Bengals. A bad throw from Pszyzcek behind the plate gave the Blue Devils another unearned run.

The Bengals managed two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, one of which was unearned as Psyzczek reached first because of the drop third-strike rule.

Congelosi tripled to right center and then Hurley singled to center to score Congelosi before Psyzczek struck out swinging, but still got on base as the catcher didn’t secure the ball, and then a throwing error pushed her to second base and Hurley to third. Parsons single scored Hurley before Schnitzer grounded out to the pitcher to end the game with another loss, 7-4.

Next, the Bengals prepare to face the No. 1 team in the conference, SUNY New Paltz, in game one of the SUNYAC Championships. Buffalo State is the lowest-seeded team heading into the tournament. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. May 9 at SUNY New Paltz.

When Buff State and the Hawks last met, the Bengals were shutout in both matches.

“Right now, we just want to have a good showing and remember why we should be here,” Coach Brown said. “Every mistake is correctable so hopefully the ladies can fix those things.”