BANGOR, Maine — The SUNY Delhi softball team made a memorable run through the elimination bracket of the North Atlantic Conference Tournament on Friday, knocking off UMaine-Presque Isle 7-6 and SUNY Cobleskill 2-0 before falling 9-8 in nine innings to Thomas in the bracket final. The loss ended Delhi's season one win shy of the championship round.
Game One: SUNY Delhi 7, UMaine-Presque Isle 6
Down 3-0 after a Gracelyn Walsh two-run homer in the third, Delhi answered immediately with a Stephanie Huckabee two-RBI double to right center, then took the lead with two in the fourth on an Adrienne Neff RBI single and a run scored on a Grace Sperry baserunning play. The Broncos broke it open with three in the fifth, capped by a Carolina Watson RBI double and back-to-back sacrifice flies from Carly Bernard and Sperry to make it 7-3. UMPI rallied for a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh on a Walsh RBI double and a Megan Buchholz sacrifice fly, but Angelina Dickel struck out the final batter to lock down the win. Dickel went the distance for her seventh win of the season, allowing four earned runs over seven innings. Huckabee, Neff, and Watson each drove in runs to power the comeback.
Game Two: SUNY Delhi 2, SUNY Cobleskill 0
Dickel was back in the circle two hours later and was even sharper, tossing a complete-game shutout while scattering five hits and walking just one to improve to 8-7 on the season. Delhi got the only runs they needed in the second when Carolina Watson stole second and Gabrielle Avallone stole home from third on the same play. The Broncos added an insurance run in the sixth when Huckabee doubled to right center, moved to third on a Riley Martin sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Watson RBI groundout. Sam Lawton took the loss for Cobleskill.
Game Three: Thomas 9, SUNY Delhi 8 (9 innings)
Looking to force a winner-take-all rematch with Thomas to reach the championship round, Delhi battled the Terriers into extra innings before falling 9-8 in nine. Trailing 4-0 after a four-run Thomas second, the Broncos answered with a four-run third highlighted by a Huckabee two-RBI single and a Riley Martin two-RBI single to right field to even the score. Thomas pulled ahead 6-4 in the sixth on a Brooklyn Federico two-RBI single, but Delhi tied it again on a Riley Martin RBI single in the fifth and a Dickel RBI double in the sixth. The score stayed knotted at 6-6 through eight innings before Thomas pushed across three in the top of the ninth on two Delhi errors and another Federico RBI single. Delhi rallied in the bottom half on a Sperry RBI double and a Riley Martin sacrifice fly to make it 9-8, but the Broncos couldn't push the tying run across. Dickel, in her third complete-game effort of the day, took the loss to finish the season at 8-8 in the circle. Riley Martin paced Delhi at the plate with two hits and four RBI, while Huckabee added two hits and two RBI. Sperry, Watson, Bernard, and Julian Ponce all collected hits as the Broncos outhit Thomas 15-14 in the loss.
Delhi finishes the 2026 season at 16-21, setting a program record for wins in a season. When asked about the team's postseason performance, Head Coach Meagan Stone had this to say; "I can't put into words how proud I am of this team! They fought with so much heart and determination all season but definitely during the NAC tournament. We were loud, kept our heads up and battled every single pitch. We speak a lot about being a family and picking each other up and that's what kept us in all three elimination games until the very end. No one pointed a finger all day, we encouraged and supported each other through it all. I have to give a special shoutout to the dugout for keeping that energy alive for all 23 innings. A quiet bench can lead to poor performances as a team and those ladies kept us in it all day!! Thank you all for an amazing record breaking year, we have laid the ground work and will keep building it. Thank you to Riley, Alli and Carly, we wish you all the best in your next chapter!"
