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The Oswego State softball team clinched its fourth-ever appearance in the SUNYAC Championship with a sweep at Brockport on Saturday afternoon.
Oswego also garnered the No. 2 seed in next week's SUNYAC Championship – its highest seed in the tournament in program history – by winning a three-way tiebreaker over Plattsburgh and Buffalo State. The Lakers, Cardinals and Bengals were tied with an 11-7 record in the conference while Oswego closes the regular season at 16-18 overall.
OSWEGO 3, BROCKPORT 1:
Oswego earned all it would need in the first inning by scoring two runs. It started with a sacrifice fly by Ashley Lyman that drove in Erin Sweeney followed by a Sarah McCullough fielder's choice that plated Jessica Roe. In the fourth, the Lakers added an insurance run on a Sweeney single through the right side that brought senior Katie Heselden home.
Rebecca Vilchez picked up her 10th victory of the season in the circle, not allowing a run until the final frame and only giving up four hits. At the plate, the freshman had a base knock along with Gabriella Vertuccio and Joelle Nesci. Sweeney and Roe led Oswego at the dish, however, each recording two hits.
OSWEGO 11, BROCKPORT 1 (5 INNINGS):
Brockport scored first in the bottom of the opening frame before Oswego gained the lead with two in the second and blew the game open with a nine-run third.
A quartet of Lakers had multiple-hit outings, paced by Sweeney's two-hit, four RBI performance. Senior Melissa Mulvaney went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Next was Vertuccio, who was also 2-for-3 with two RBI but crossed the plate one less time than Mulvaney. Vilchez rounded out the quartet with two hits of her own and two runs scored.
Roe and Lyman had identical days at the plate, recording a hit, run driven in and a run scored each. McCullough was 1-for-2 at the dish and crossed the plate twice. Nesci closed the Laker hitting with a hit, run scored and an RBI.
Vilchez again collected the win in the circle, improving to 11-8 by scattering six hits and only allowing one run. Roe tossed two, one-hit innings and struck out two Golden Eagle hitters to secure the Laker victory.
Oswego will now face fifth-seeded New Paltz at 11 a.m. on Thursday in the second game of the SUNYAC Championship. The entire tournament will be played at Cortland as the Red Dragons are the No. 1 seed.
