MATT VOLZ
Asst. Sports Editor
CHEERLEADING
The Blue Devils cheer squad competed at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Nationals in Daytona Beach, F.L. from Thursday, April 6 to Saturday, April 8.
In the preliminary round on April 6, the team scored a perfect 10 in the Collegiate Image category and tallied eights and nines in several other categories.
Overall, the team came in ninth place in the Intermediate All Girls Division III division with a final score of 86.8635.
Salisbury University took home first place with a final event score of 94.7245.
Last year, the Blue Devils finished 13th at NCA Nationals.
More information can be found on fredoniabluedevils.com.
LACROSSE
On Wednesday, April 12, Fredonia’s women’s lacrosse team traveled to Buffalo to face the Buffalo State Bengals in a SUNYAC matchup.
Despite leading 11-6 with under 10 minutes left in the third quarter, the Bengals rallied to beat the Blue Devils by a final score of 15-13.
Senior Julie Culver scored a season-high six goals, while freshman Cailin Karalus and junior Sydney Buchko each scored twice.
Culver also tallied two assists and recorded a season-high 12 shots.
Senior Emily Carr made 16 saves on 31 shots.
On Saturday, April 15, the Blue Devils scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to pull away late and defeat the Potsdam Bears, 19-11.
Senior Erin Woods, the team’s leading scorer this season, scored six goals and recorded four assists for a total of 10 points.
Buchko also scored three goals, as Culver and freshman Noelle Mendez each scored twice.
Carr made 13 saves on 24 shots in the victory.
The win brought Fredonia’s overall record to 6-9 and marked their first conference win of 2023.
The Blue Devils will be in action again on Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals in what will be their final home game of the regular season.
SOFTBALL
Fredonia’s softball team played two doubleheaders over the weekend, with all four games at home.
On Friday, April 14, the Blue Devils hosted the Geneseo Knights in the first doubleheader.
In game one on Friday, Geneseo jumped out to an early lead and held on to win 9-2.
Senior pitcher Emily Chelius drove in both Fredonia runs with a single in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Junior Alexis Wulf and sophomore Allie Wandell scored the Blue Devil runs.
Chelius pitched six innings, allowing nine runs on 12 hits while walking two batters and striking out five.
In the second game, Geneseo pulled away from a 3-3 tie to win, 7-3.
Sophomore outfielder Megan Guidry drove in two runs with a double in the bottom of the third inning, and senior Marisa Sultana drove in the other run with a single in the second inning.
Junior Alyssa Santiago scored twice, and freshman Isabella Lemke scored once as a pinch runner.
Junior pitcher Vanessa Galbraith started the game but was pulled in the second inning. Freshman Mack Celauro pitched the rest of the game, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out one batter.
On Saturday, April 15, the Blue Devils hosted the Brockport Golden Eagles in another doubleheader.
In the first game, Fredonia took the lead on Wandell’s RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning and didn’t look back on the way to a 5-1 win.
Wandell scored three of the team’s five runs and recorded three hits. Santiago and senior infielder Victoria Pauwels each scored once.
Chelius pitched all seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits and striking out nine batters for her first win of the season.
In the second game, the Blue Devils held a one-run lead through five innings, but Brockport came back for a 6-4 win.
Wandell went two for three with two runs scored, while Pauwels went three for three with a walk.
Lemke and sophomore Isabella Rizzo each scored once as a pinch runner.
Celauro pitched all seven innings, allowing six runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
The weekend’s results brought Fredonia’s overall record to 2-18 and their conference record to 1-5.
The team will be on the road for three upcoming doubleheaders, starting with two games at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, N.Y. on Tuesday, April 18.
Their next home game is slated for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25 as part of a doubleheader against Alfred University.
BASEBALL
The Blue Devils played three home games over the weekend, all against SUNY Brockport.
On Friday, April 14, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead, and a fourth inning grand slam sealed Fredonia’s fate in a 12-1 loss.
Fredonia’s lone run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when freshman Garrett Stuckey drew a bases-loaded walk that allowed sophomore Alex Gannon to score.
Junior pitcher Nathan O’Brochta started the game and pitched five innings, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Freshman Nathan Zicari pitched the rest of the way, allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
In the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15, the Blue Devils trailed 5-3 after four innings, before Brockport scored a combined 12 runs over the next three innings to win 17-3.
All three Fredonia runs scored off of senior outfielder Jordan Maher’s bases-loaded double in the bottom of the fourth inning. Stuckey, senior Jake Wentland and sophomore Tyler Curtis scored the runs.
Freshman Morgan Zientara started the game, pitching four innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Freshman Michael Byrns pitched two and one-third innings in relief, allowing eight runs on three hits with five walks and one strikeout.
Sophomore Jeremy Rosado pitched two-thirds of an inning as well, allowing two runs on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
In the second game, the Blue Devils rallied from an early 7-0 deficit to pull within one run, but Brockport ultimately pulled away and won, 12-7.
Curtis hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, while Gannon and senior Matt Wojcik also each drove in two runs.
Junior Kyle Tedford drove in the other Fredonia run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning that allowed freshman Brady Ventura to score one of his two runs.
Freshman Nick Syposs started the game, pitching four innings and allowing seven runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout.
Freshman Owen Ludwig came on in relief, pitching three innings and allowing four runs on six hits with one strikeout.
Junior Derrick Walters and sophomore Nathaniel Lockwood each pitched one inning, both recording two walks and a strikeout while keeping Brockport scoreless.
The weekend’s results brought the team’s overall record to 5-19 and their conference record to 0-9.
The Blue Devils will be on the road in the upcoming week with a game at Penn State Behrend on Monday, April 17 and a weekend series at SUNY Oneonta.
Their next home game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, April 28 against SUNY New Paltz.