Tennis teams bring Liberty titles home

Skidmore added two Liberty League titles to its trophy case last week, as men’s and women’s tennis each claimed conference championships. Riding also had a successful week, capping another outstanding season with a third-place finish at nationals. Women’s lacrosse just missed winning its first league title and softball saw its run come to an end in the Liberty League tournament. Baseball also saw its season draw to a close with a series against Bard.

Men’s tennis claimed its second consecutive (and eighth overall) Liberty League title with a 5-2 win against Rensselaer. The 30th-ranked Thoroughbreds won two of three doubles matches. After Kit Sanderson ’16 and Ted Berkowitz ’18 posted wins at number-two and number-six singles, respectively, Kai Yuen Leung ’17 clinched the championship with a 7-5, 6-4 win at number one.

The team blew past Hobart, 5-0 in the semifinals. After sweeping doubles for a 3-0 lead, Steven Koulouris ’18 won 6-3, 6-2 at number-three singles and Sanderson beat Michael Fields, 6-3, 6-2, at number-two singles to clinch the match. The team led in three of the four unfinished singles matches. Koulouris also teamed with Berkowitz  for an 8-3 win at number-three doubles, while Sanderson and Lucas Pickering ’18 won 8-5 at number two. The team earned the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship tournament and will be making its eighth straight tournament appearance. Tournament pairings, announced May 4, are as follows:

Skidmore (12-7) will face the University of Southern Maine (12-2) in the first round on Thursday, May 7, at Amherst College. The winner will face 22nd-ranked Stevens (19-5) in the regional semifinal on Friday, May 8. Second-ranked host Amherst College (19-5) will play the winner of Colby-Sawyer (12-10) and Yeshiva (12-3) in the other regional semifinal. The regional final is scheduled Saturday, May 9.

Women’s tennis completed its drive for five straight Liberty League titles, battling to a 5-3 win against No. 21 Vassar in the league championship match. The 16th-ranked Thoroughbreds trailed 2-1 after doubles, but bounced back in singles play. Michelle Fuca ’18 rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win at number five and Erica Meno ’18 gave the team at 3-2 lead with a 6-, 6-4 victory at number four. Caroline Finnegan ’18 added a 7-6, 6-1 win at number six and Danielle Giannetti ’18 sealed the championship with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) win at number two. The victory gave the Thoroughbreds the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship tournament, where they  will be making their ninth consecutive and 19th overall tournament appearance.

Skidmore lost to Tufts in the 2014 NCAA second round.

The team made quick work of Rensselaer in the semifinals, cruising to a 5-0 win. The Thoroughbreds got out to a 3-0 lead after doubles and Fuca and Hobbs  recorded wins at number five and number six singles, respectively, to secure the 5-0 victory. Fuca combined with Meno for an 8-3 win at number three doubles. The team led in all four unfinished singles matches. 

Announced Monday afternoon, the tournament field includes the following details:  

The 16^th-ranked Thoroughbreds (13-8) received a first round bye and will play the winner of a first-round match between 35^th-ranked Babson (15-8) and Colby Sawyer (12-10) on Saturday, May 9, at Williams College. Top ranked and unbeaten Williams (20-0) will play the winner of Endicott College (19-4) and Farmingdale (14-1). The regional final is Sunday, May 10. All times are TBA and will be announced.

Riding finished in the top five at the International Horse Show Association (ISHA) National Championships for the eighth straight year, placing third overall. The team got out to a strong start, as Hannah Reynolds ’16 placed second in Novice Over Fences, while Abbie Gibson ’16 was third in Novice on the Flat. On day two, Jessica Stoukides ’16 earned five points with a second-place finish in Intermediate Over Fences and Helen Kirk ’16 was second in Walk-Trot.

Women’s Lacrosse fell just short of capturing its first Liberty League title, suffering a 14-6 loss to host Union in the championship game after beating Vassar 10-8 in the semifinal. Emma Harris ’16 and Spencer Morgan ’15 each had a hat trick against the Brewers, while Tyler Phillips ’17 added three points on two goals and an assist and Allison Byrne ’17 contributed a pair of goals. In the championship game the Dutchwomen took a 7-3 lead into the half behind six unanswered goals. Union opened the second half with five unanswered goals to pull away for the win. Morgan tallied twice and Harris produced a multi-point game with a goal and a helper.  Phillips potted her league-leading 55th goal of the season, while Byrne and Paige DiAntonio ‘15 chipped in with a goal each. Caroline Bowne ’17 had a game-high seven draw controls. Morgan, Phillips, Harris and Bowne all received Liberty League All-Tournament Team honors. The team set a new program record for wins in a season, finishing the year with an overall mark of 13-5.

Softball’s run came to an end in the Liberty League playoffs. The team dropped its opening game, 5-0, against host Rochester before falling 2-0 to Union. Amanda Carilli ’18 had two solid complete-game outings on the mound. She allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits against the Yellowjackets and gave up two runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts against the Dutchwomen. The Thoroughbreds, who advanced to the postseason for back-to-back seasons for the first time in program, finished the year with an overall record of 14-22.

Baseball went 1-3 against Bard in its final series of the season. The team scored two runs in the top of the 12th to earn a 10-8 win in game two. After the Raptors scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game 8-8, Kevin Cross ’15 executed a suicide squeeze to perfection, scoring Daniel Dasgupta ’17. Eric Damphousse ’18 brought in the insurance run with a sacrifice fly. Jeb Clarke ’16 went 3-for-6 with two RBI in the win, while Mike Fogarty ’18 was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Trailing 5-2 in the final inning of game three, the Thoroughbreds staged a comeback but came up just short. After Damphousse and Josh Brown ’17 each reached with infield singles, Dan Miller ’15 delivered a two-out two-run double to left-center to bring the team within one. However, with the winning run at the plate Bard closer J.P. Fisher struck out Skidmore’s final batter to seal the 5-4 win. The team completed its season with an overall record of 12-22 and a league record of 6-16. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques