Softball | 4/13/2012 7:08:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Click here for game one stats --- Click here for game two stats

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT softball team (8-16, 1-3 Liberty League) split a doubleheader against Liberty League foe Skidmore (13-15, 2-4 Liberty League) on a sunny Friday afternoon at RIT Field. Skidmore won game one, 9-3, while RIT squandered a 5-1 lead, then rallied from a 7-5 deficit to win game two, 8-7. The win snaps an 11-game losing streak for the Tigers.

In game two, Brittany Griffin (Sterling, VA/Park View ) continued her torrid hitting for RIT, crushing one of the longest home runs ever hit at RIT Field, a towering three-run blast to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning to give RIT a 4-0 lead. She now has three home runs in the last two games and five in 2012. Griffin was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI's in the game, raising her batting average to .391.

The Thoroughbreds drew a pair of walks to lead off in the sixth inning, then Julia Martin singled in a run to cut the RIT lead to 5-2. After an error and infield single by Carol Brown made it 5-3, Christina Gargiso tripled down the right field line, clearing the bases to give Skidmore the 6-5 lead. A run-scoring double by Julia Schwartz gave the Thoroughbreds a 7-5 lead.

RIT pulled back ahead in the bottom half of the inning. After a leadoff double by Griffin and an infield single by Shannon McCormick (Auburn, NY/Auburn), Brittney LaVoie (Plattsburgh, NY/Ticonderoga) grounded out to drive in McCormick and make it 7-6. Skidmore intentionally walked Tori Nadow (Charlton, MA/Shepherd Hill) to get to Brittany Purcell (Drums, PA/Hazelton Area), and the freshman outfielder made them pay, ripping a double to the gap in left center, scoring McCormick and Nadow to give RIT the 8-7 lead.

Tiffany Gundler (North Adams, MA/Drury ) shut down Skidmore in the top of the seventh inning to earn her second win of the season. Sarah Collmus (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth) started for RIT, throwing three scoreless innings.

Tori Nadow (Charlton, MA/Shepherd Hill) was 3-for-3 with a run scored and run driven in, while Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) added two hits.

For Skidmore, Gargiso drove in four runs, while Brown, Abby Shea, and Schwartz each had two hits.

Down 1-0 in game one, Skidmore exploded for four runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Thoroughbreds scored two in the fourth and three in the seventh to pull away.

Katie Sorochka was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI's, and two-run scored for Skidmore. Carol Brown and Katie Peverada each drove in a pair of runs and added two hits each. On the mound, Sam Croze threw a complete-game eight hitter, allowing two earned runs to improve to 9-6.

Purcell was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored, and run batted in for the Tigers. Griffin and Kelly Meegan (Bristol, NH/Newfound Regional ) also drove in runs.

The Tigers will honor seniors Shannon McCormick (Auburn, NY/Auburn) and Michelle Tabisz (Silver Spring, MD/Paint Branch) between games of its home doubleheader against St. Lawrence on Saturday. The two games get underway at 12 p.m.