Corning Wins the Battle of the Nationally-Ranked Region III Teams; Sweeps Herkimer

SUNY Corning's softball team, currently ranked #1 in the latest NJCAA D3 national poll, traveled on Tuesday to square off with the NJCAA's #3 team Herkimer College. The teams played at Carrier Park in Syracuse, NY.   Corning swept the doubleheader from the Herkimer Generals by scores of 15-9 (8-innings) and 9-1 (6-innings).  

In game one, each team scored in the first inning before Herkimer erupted for 5 runs in the second inning to go ahead 6-1.  Corning scored another run in the 3rd before a five-run fifth inning capped off by a Lexi Wood 3-run homerun to give the Red Barons a 7-6 edge.  Corning added another run in the top of the 7th but Herkimer scored two in the bottom of the 7th frame to send the game into extra-innings.  Corning scored 7 runs in the top of the 8th and held the Generals to one run in their half of the inning to give the Red Barons a 15-9 win.  Wood went 3 for 4 and collected 6 RBI's.  Jill Murray was 3 for 4 with a double, triple and 2 RBI's while Katie Kersch went 2 for 4 with an RBI.  Siobhan Stone added 2 RBI's for Corning while Hailey Burdick, and Kiarah Grover each contributed a run.  Emily McCreery earned her 15th win in the circle scattering 11 hits and giving up 5 earned runs.

In the nightcap, Corning scored in the bottom of the first, added another run in the 3rd and 2 runs in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead heading into the 5th inning.  Herkimer scored an unearned run to get on the board in the fifth but then Corning scored 5 in the bottom of the 6th to envoke the eight-run rule and end the game with a 9-1 victory.  Jodie Burdick was 2 for 2, Murray 3 for 4, and Grover 2 for 3.  Murray had 3 RBI's, while Wood and Kersch each added 2 RBI's.  Jayden Hill threw a five-hit gem allowing no earned runs and striking out five.  

Corning ends the regular season with a 30-0 record and awaits the Wednesday annouencement of who they will face in the first round of the Region III Tournament.  Corning has clinched the home seed for this weekends opening round.