Cramming four games into three days, the softball team showed its stamina by winning three of the four, all of which were on the road. The ‘Jackets faced the SUNY Geneseo Knights in a doubleheader on Thursday, then went on a road trip to Saratoga to play another doubleheader against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds on Saturday.
In the opener against the Knights, the ‘Jackets fell just short of a win, losing 2-4. One of the runs came in the first inning from freshman infielder Lindsay Macaluso, who singled to get on base. The other run came in the third inning and was scored by freshman infielder Erin Clark, who hit a double and then was advanced around the bases with help from senior infielder Alicia Citro, who hit a single.
Ameno took the loss, pitching a total of six innings. She allowed six hits, four runs, struck out two and walked four. Macaluso was by far the strongest batter for the ‘Jackets, batting .750 and scoring one of UR’s two runs. Other hits for the ‘Jackets included a double from junior catcher Megan Winn and a single from senior outfielder Jessica Sorrentino.
In the nitecap, the ‘Jackets got into a groove and beat the Knights in five innings, 11-2. UR scored in every inning, and eight of the nine starters had hits. In the first inning, the ‘Jackets scored four runs to set the tone for the rest of the game. Hits came from Clark and Citro, who both singled. UR also capitalized off two errors from the Knights.
The ‘Jackets scored a run in the second inning thanks to two errors from the Knights. UR continued scoring in the fourth and fifth innings, earning two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. In the fourth, Ameno, junior infielder Brittany Celeste and Winn all hit singles, and sophomore catcher Juliana Nicholson hit a double. Macaluso hit a double in the fifth inning to bring in the last run scored by the ‘Jackets. The game was then called due to the mercy rule.
Citro recorded the win for the ‘Jackets, pitching all five innings and allowing only five hits, two runs and three walks. Winn, who was a designated hitter for the game, went 2-3 and had one RBI.Macaluso batted .500 and had one RBI, as well.
The ‘Jackets kept their momentum going into the weekend against the Thoroughbreds, winning both games by scores of 8-1 and 6-3. In the opener, Skidmore kicked off the scoring in the first, but it was the only run the Thoroughbreds were able to score in the game.
In the second inning, UR freshman outfielder Liz Slupinski hit a triple to bring Nicholson and junior outfielder Mindy Altemose home. Slupinski was then brought home thanks to a double from Sorrentino. The ‘Jackets had five hits in the fourth inning and scored four runs. Hits came from a two-RBI home run from Sorrentino, a double from Macaluso and singles from Clark, Citro and Ameno. Macaluso brought in the game’s final run with a double in the fifth inning.
Hylen, who pitched all seven innings, recorded the win and allowed nine hits, one run and struck out eight. Sorrentino was the star batter of the night – she went 3-4, had three RBIs and scored two runs. Macaluso also batted well, going 2-4 and with one RBI.
In the nitecap, the game was a little closer than the opener, but the ‘Jackets were still able to pull out the win. UR scored one run in the first inning off of a wild pitch.
The Thoroughbreds then responded with two runs in the second inning and one in the third to make the score 3-1. The ‘Jackets came back alive in the sixth inning, scoring three runs to take the lead.
Clark started off the inning with a single and was followed by Celeste, Winn and Ameno, all of whom were walked. Mindy Altemose then singled and brought in a run, as did Sorrentino. UR sealed the deal in the seventh inning, scoring two runs off of a walk and an error.
Citro recorded the win, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing five hits, and three runs, while walking only two batters and striking out three. Ameno was credited with the save. She came in midway through the fifth inning, allowed only one hit and struck out four batters. Freshman outfielder Melissa Altemose – the designated hitter for the game – was UR’s strongest batter, going 2-3 with one RBI.
Yesterday, the women took on the Buffalo State University Bengals in a doubleheader at home and came away with 5-1 and 6-5 victories.
In the first game, UR was led by Macaluso and Winn on offense and Ameno at the pitching position. Macaluso went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI. Winn also went 2-3 while logging two RBIs.
Ameno was dominant at the plate. She pitched a four-hitter, allowed only one run and struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings.
The Bengals jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning due to a fielding error by UR and remained in the lead until the fifth inning when the ‘Jackets compiled three runs thanks to a two-RBI homerun from Slupinski and an unearned score from Sorrentino.The homer was Slupinski’s third of the season. UR continued its hot streak in the sixth inning, adding two more runs to its lead. Winn hit a two-RBI double that accounted for the runs and gave the game its 5-1 final score.
In the nitecap, Buffalo State made the game a little more interesting.
Again, the Bengals took the early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning. UR battled back in the third inning thanks to a Macaluso homer down the left field line that brought in three runs.
Both teams notched scores in the sixth inning. After Buffalo State scored a run in the top of the inning, UR responded, scoring two runs after the Bengals brought in a new pitcher. Both Celeste and Ameno scored unearned runs to knot the score at five.
With neither team scoring in the seventh, the game went into extra innings. It was a defensive battle until the bottom of the 10th, when Melissa Altemose’s single to center field brought Celeste home for the win.
Ameno again pitched the entire game and struck out 11 batters.
The ‘Jackets bring their record to 17-10 with the victory and are currently ranked 23rd in the nation according to the most recent poll by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. UR’s next games are this weekend against St. Lawrence University at 1 p.m. on Saturday and against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at noon on Sunday and will both be at home.
Belonga is a member of the class of 2010.
