#1 Corning Sweeps #8 Onondaga to Advance to NJCAA Region III Finals

The Corning softball team, ranked #1 in the NJCAA Region III Tournament seeding, was able to advance to the NJCAA Region III Finals with wins over #8 Onondaga CC on Saturday afternoon.  The playoff format is a best of three series and the two Corning wins propelled the Red Barons to Thursday's Championship series with a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament on the line.

Corning took an early 3-0 lead thanks to a first inning Lexi Wood homerun, but OCC battled back and scored 6 in the top of the 3rd.  The Red Barons answered in the bottom half of the frame with 2 runs to make it a 6-5 ballgame.  In the bottom of the 5th, Corning would blow the game open with a big 7-run inning.  Corning tacked on two more runs in the 6th and invoked the eight-run rule with a 6-inning 14-6 win.  Grace Vondracek was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's, Emma Loomis 4 for 5, Grace Talbut 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's, Wood 2 for 3 with 5 RBI's, while Jodie Burdick and Lexi Wahl-Knowlden each went 2 for 4.  Emily McCreery picked up the win in the circle scattering 7 hits and striking out 10.  

In game two, Corning earned the 10-6 win thanks in part to a big 5 run 6th-inning to take the lead for good.  Vondarcek and Loomis were 3 for 4 while Kiarah Grover went 2 for 4.  Grover and Wood each tripled while Loomis, Vondracek and Talbut each doubled.  Jayden Hill earned the game two win scattering four hits and striking out 5.  

The Red Barons have advanced to the NJCAA Region III Championship Game, also a best of three series, and will play #4 seed Niagara County Community College.  Those games will be played at Corning on Thursday, May 19.  First pitch is noon.  The winner of this series will advance to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament on May 25-28 in Syracuse, New York.