Rochester, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team opened play in the 2018 NCAA Tournament on Friday with a 4-0 loss to SUNY Geneseo. Freshman Morgan O'Neill (Little Falls, N.Y.) recorded two hits in the win and Cindy Connoly (Walden, N.Y.) struck out eight in the circle.
 
Geneseo got on the board with all the scoring it needed in the first frame with a pair of runs. Maddison Tucker ripped a one-out triple in the team's first at-bat and later crossed on a two-run home run off the bat of Danni Napoli.
 
Geneseo added single runs in the third and fourth inning to close out the scoring in the game. Taylor Fedor delivered the team's third run with an RBI single before Anna Merante homered in the fourth inning to push the Knights in front by four.
 
Mount Saint Mary advanced a runner to scoring position four times in the game, but never got a runner to third base. The Knights put a runner on second in its first two at-bats and then again in the fourth following a one-out double from O'Neill.
 
Amanda Almodovar (Goshen, N.Y.), Connoly and Taylor Canto (Walden, N.Y.) all recorded a hit in the game for the Knights, with O;Neill going 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Kathryn Eiler (Merrick, N.Y.) and Nicolette Moustoula (Seaford, N.Y.) also reached with walks for the Mount.
 
Merante finished up a big day at the plate 3-for-3 with a double, home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Tucker posted two hits with a run with Napoli scoring a run and driving in two.
 
Connoly suffered the loss in the circle and fell to 13-9 on the season. She worked a complete game, allowing four runs on eight hits. She walked three batters and struck out eight for the Mount. Taylor Moore earned the win and moved to 12-3 with six strikeouts in the shutout.
 
Friday's loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 20-15 on the season. The Knights will take on the loser of the #6 St. John Fisher and Immaculata contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.