Courtesy of UR Athletics
It has been a busy week for UR Softball which has competed in doubleheaders on almost a daily basis. They recently faced Liberty League rivals Clarkson and Skidmore over the weekend and played Ithaca College at home on Tuesday, April 21.
Against Clarkson, whose team is only in their second year of existence, the ‘Jackets dominated both games, winning 7-2 and 10-0. Clarkson was held to only a single base hit in each game, as junior Brittany Grage and sophomore Eleni Wechsler earned wins in games one and two, respectively. Offensively, senior Sarah Wayson and sophomore Shelby Corning led the way with five hits each, with the former also driving in three runs.
The following day featured two games against Skidmore, both decided by only one run. In the opener, Rochester scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 9-3 lead, but a pair of errors from UR helped the Thoroughbreds to come all the way back, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the inning for an improbable 10-9 walk-off win.
In the second game, the ‘Jackets bounced back from their heartbreaker to win 7-6. Grage was instrumental in the victory, hitting two home runs and driving in four, including the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Wechsler grabbed her second win of the weekend on the mound, shutting down Skidmore in the seventh to wrap up a complete game for the sophomore.
After only one day off, Rochester and Ithaca met for a pair of non-conference games, with the
Courtesy of UR Athletics
Ithaca Bombers keeping the ‘Jackets’ bats in check on their way to a doubleheader sweep. Game one was a pitchers’ duel, and, despite holding the Bombers to only four hits, UR’s offense couldn’t manage to cross the plate, eventually falling 1-0. In game two, the ‘Jackets fell behind 6-1 after four and a half innings, a deficit that proved to be too much. The team would fight back, getting as close as 6-4. But their rally was cut short when Ithaca’s Allison Macari struck out her sixth ‘Jacket of the day to end the game.
UR concludes its regular season this upcoming weekend, when they host RIT on Saturday, April 25 before travelling to Canton, N.Y. to play Saint Lawrence on April 26. Following the weekend will be the Liberty League Championships, which are slated to begin on Thursday, April 30.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
