CLERMONT, Fla. - Ellie Wintringer began her sophomore season in a big way Thursday, smashing Union's first home run of the season as part of a four hit day as the Union College softball team commenced their 2024 season with a doubleheader at Hancock Park in Clermont, Florida, falling to Buffalo State in the opener, 12-9, before succumbing to Amherst, 13-0.
 
Game One: Buffalo State 12, Union 9
 
After Buffalo State stranded the lone runner of the first inning, the Tigers took the first lead of the 9:00 AM contest in the second. With the bases loaded and one out in the top half of the second, a walk, wild pitch, and single gave Buffalo State a 3-0 lead before Union starter Melody Kappel buckled down to get a ground out and a line out to strand two and limit the damage from getting any further.
 
A two-out rally in the next inning gave the Tigers two more to make it a 5-0 advantage, but the Garnet Chargers struck back in the home half. With first-year Sam Rose and junior Riley Callahan on base, Wintringer blasted the team's first home run of the year to cut the deficit down to two.
 
Buffalo State took advantage of a pair of Union errors to add another run and push their lead back up to three in the top of the fourth, but Union's offense continued into their next at-bats in the bottom half of the inning. 
 
With one out and junior Tatum Perkins on third after her leadoff walk and sophomore Haley Gibbons on first after the first hit of her season, Rose singled for her second hit in two innings to score Perkins and pick up her first RBI in a Union uniform. Callahan walked to load the bases for Kappel, who followed with a walk of her own, to bring up Wintringer with the bases loaded. The sophomore delivered again, singling through the left side to score Rose and tie the game before an error allowed Callahan to follow and give Union their first lead of the campaign. 
 
Union added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a sacrifice fly from Gibbons, but Buffalo State answered in a big way, scoring six in the sixth to regain a late 12-8 lead.
 
Junior Nahnny Sobetzko's RBI double in the bottom of the sixth scored Kappel to bring Union back within three, but four runners left on base in the final two innings allowed Buffalo State to take the 12-9 victory.
 
Wintringer finished with a 3-for-4 line with four of Union's eight runs batted in and a run scored to lead the offense from the three slot, while Rose impressed in her collegiate debut at the bottom of the lineup, picking up three hits herself to tie Wintringer for the team lead and was one of three Garnet Chargers to score a pair of runs while driving in a run herself.
 
Game Two: Amherst 13, Union 0 (5 innings)
 
After a scoreless opening inning and a half, Amherst turned their offense on over the next three innings. The Mammoths plated six in the bottom of the second before adding two in the third and five in the fourth.
 
A pair of one-out singles from first-year Maddy Ewald and Rose in the top of the third gave Union an opportunity to respond after Amherst's six spot in the second, but a fielder's choice and a strikeout stranded a pair.
 
Wintringer added her fourth hit of the day and an error gave the Garnet Chargers two more baserunners in their at-bats in the fourth, but a trio of groundouts kept Union off the board. They would be unable to muster anything in the fifth and would fall in the backend of their season-opening doubleheader 13-0.
 
Ewald, Rose and Wintringer accounted for Union's three hits while Callahan picked up her first stolen base of the season in game two. 
 
Union will return to action Friday with a bit later of a doubleheader set to kick off at 1:30 PM against Keuka College before taking on Bates College at Legends Way Ballfields.