ALBANY, N.Y. – Colgate softball blasted four home runs on Tuesday in a mid-week split with nearby Albany.
 
The Raiders took the opening game of the doubleheader 6-4 but saw the hosts rebound for a 6-3 victory in game two.
 
Tara Grennan led the Raiders with two of those long balls in game one; while Mariel Schlaefer and Holly Geranen tallied one each in the nightcap.
 
Overall Grennan finished the day going 3-for-7 with three runs and three RBIs. Schlaefer registered two hits, one run and one RBI to go along with Geranen's one hit, one run and one RBI.

Marisa Dowling chipped in two hits, one run and one RBI in her eight at bats as well.
 
In the circle Brigit Ieuter added to her wins total with a seven hit, four run, two of which were earned, outing in game one. She pitched all seven innings for the Raiders fanning six batters.
 
The pitching duties for game two were split between rookie Kira Griswold and junior Megan Carnase. Griswold got the start allowing seven hits and five runs in her three innings of work before Carnase came in for relief giving up four hits and one run.
 
The Great Danes jumped out to the 1-0 edge early in the opening game. In the fourth and fifth inning though Colgate put together three big runs to take over the lead at 3-1. Albany made it interesting in the sixth when they pulled even at 3-3 but a three-run rally in the seventh ultimately secured Colgate the victory.
 
Just like in game one, Albany took the early lead. This time it was a 4-0 edge after the first. The Raiders cut the advantage in half in the top of the second with a two-run shot from Schlaefer but another run in the bottom half from the Great Danes created a 5-2 gap between the teams. Colgate received a solo home run from Geranen in the fourth, which made it a 5-3 ballgame but one final run from Albany sealed the hosts the win.
 
The Raiders finally get to play on home soil this weekend when they host Holy Cross in a three-game Patriot League series beginning Saturday at noon. All games will be played at Eaton Street Field.

Bottom Line
• Colgate 6, Albany 4 - game one
• Albany 6, Colgate 3 - game two

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improves to 13-11 overall
• Albany shifts to 19-10 on the year.

Key Raider Info
• Grennan led the Raiders going 3-for-7 with three runs and three RBIs.
• Schlaefer and Dowling both went 2-for-8 and added a run and a RBI.
• Six of Colgate's seven batters on the day tallied at least one hit throughout the twin bill.
• Ieuter picked up her eighth win of the year in the circle, shifting her ERA to a team-best 1.88. During her complete game she allowed seven hits and four runs, only two were earned. The junior also collected six strikeouts.
• Griswold and Carnase combined for six strong innings in the nightcap. Griswold got the start and gave up seven hits and five runs during her three innings in the circle. Carnase came in for relief allowing four hits and one run. Griswold fanned five batters, while Carnase tallied one.  

Facts & Figures
• Colgate recorded 13 hits on the day, while bringing nine runs across home plate.
• The Raiders also recorded nine RBIs on the day to go along with their four long balls. This marked the second doubleheader in a row Colgate has earned at least four home runs in a twin bill.
• In total the pitching staff struck out 12 batters during Albany's combined 57 at bats
 
Albany's Numbers
• The Great Danes saw Maggie Cocks finish the day 4-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs
• Vicky McFarland and Elizabeth Snow went 5-for-8 and 4-for-7, respectively, to help Albany's cause. McFarland added three runs, while Snow chipped in two.
• Four pitchers saw action for the hosts in Erynn Sobieski, Nicole Parks, Mackenzie Thompson and Devin Durando
• Sobieski got the starting nod in game one pitching five innings allowing five hits and three runs. Parks came in for relief giving up three hits and three runs. In the nightcap Thompson allowed five hits and three runs during her four innings of work, before Durando came in for the final three innings not allowing a hit.
 
Straight From The Source
• Colgate head coach Melissa Finley: (on her thoughts from the doubleheader) "We faced some tough competition today and I was really happy to see us come back after giving up the lead in the first game. Brigit (Ieuter) pitched a great game and we had some timely hits from Alex Gadiano, Marisa Dowling and Tara Grennan.
 
"It was nice to see us drive the ball and come up with four home runs on the day but we could have done a better job situationally and in advancing base runners during that second game."
 
"I am looking forward to having a few practices to work on some of the details and prepare for another competitive Patriot League weekend."

Up Next
• Colgate welcomes Holy Cross on Saturday and Sunday for another conference three-game series
• Saturday will feature a doubleheader followed by a single game on Sunday. All contest are scheduled to start at noon.
• Live stats and video are available at the start of all games.