CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, 518-629-7898 or 518-416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Friday, May 5, 2023

The Hudson Valley Community College softball team earned two quality Region 3 wins in their series sweep over Monroe CC on Friday afternoon in Rochester, NY. The wins jump the Vikings into the fifth seed with a Region 3 region of 15-6.

GAME ONE: Hudson Valley 3, Monroe 1 (Final)

The opening game was a pitching duel with the Vikings squeezing out the two-run win. The Vikings got the ball rolling in the second inning when Hannah Taylor earned a walk, allowing Abby Taylor to score. Following a walk to Kaylee LaForest, Abby Taylor doubled to deep center field in the next at-bat. Erin Madsen then singled to third base, which prevented LaForest from advancing home for a score and set up the walked-in run to put the Vikings on the board.

Hudson Valley's Carly Gemmett kept the Tribunes off-balance as she tallied 15 strikeouts over her 7.0 innings pitched. She allowed one run on four hits, which was scored in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by Monroe.

In the fifth inning, Abby Campbell and Katie Mannis led the inning off with back-to-back hits. Maryssa Sano came through with a clutch two-out single, which allowed Mannis to score on the play. The next inning, the Vikings scored again, to add another insurance run as a result of Angelina Pierro's steal of home for the team's third run.

GAME TWO: Hudson Valley 8, Monroe 6 (Final)

The Vikings put together two big innings to complete the comeback win and take the season sweep over Monroe, who started the day in fifth place, just ahead of Hudson Valley. In the fifth inning, Hudson Valley tallied five runs to pull ahead 5-2 on Monroe, but the Tribunes rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning with four more runs to retake an 6-5 lead.

With the Vikings down to their final out of the game, Abby Campbell tied the game with one swing as she crushed a solo home run deep over the centerfield fence to extend the inning and the game. The next batter, Gemmett walked on four straight pitches and Gianna Bucciero came to the plate.

Following six straight balls thrown by Monroe, Bucciero took a strike looking. With a 2-1 count and two outs in the game, Bucciero won the game with one swing of the bat, driving the ball over the left field fence for the game-winning runs.

Gemmett and the Vikings defense shut down the Tribunes in order to close out the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the crucial Region 3 sweep.

ON DECK:

The softball team returns home on Sunday, May 7 for senior day as they host Columbia-Greene for the final Region 3 games of the season at the Vikings Softball Field beginning at 12 p.m.