Softball | 4/21/2013 5:13:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT softball team (9-19, 3-7 Liberty League) wrapped up Liberty League play for the 2013 season on Sunday, splitting a doubleheader against Union (11-20, 5-5 Liberty League) from sunny, chilly Tiger Stadium. RIT won game one, 1-0, while Union took game two, 10-1. With the loss in game two, RIT is eliminated from Liberty League postseason play.

Game one featured a tremendous pitchers duel, as RIT's Alissa Dixon (Rochester, NY/Webster Schroeder) and Union's Allyson Staats matched each other strike for strike through six scoreless innings. Dixon was able to get through the seventh inning unscathed, giving RIT a chance for a walk-off victory.

In the bottom of the seventh, Amanda Cook (Royal Palm Beach, FL/Suncoast) led off with a single up the middle and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton). Kelsey McManus (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon ) hit a hard line drive that deflected off the Union third baseman for a hit, moving Cook up to third. Anna Lorette (Norridgewock, ME/Skowhegan Area) reached on a fielder's choice bunt, with Union content to try for a force play with the bases loaded. Dixon then won the game with an infield single to second, scoring Cook to give RIT the walk-off victory.

Dixon allowed just three hits while striking out seven batters and walking two for her fifth win of the season. She threw 125 pitches, 75 for strikes. Staats pitched extremely well for Union, allowing just five hits, while striking out nine batters. She threw just 77 pitches, including 59 strikes.

With a win in game two, RIT could have passed Union for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Liberty League standings. Unfortunately for RIT, Union made sure that did not happen, as the Dutchwomen jumped to a 5-0 lead before RIT came to bat in the first inning.

The Saints scored five times in the first inning of game two on just one hit. RIT pitcher Sarah Collmus (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth) struggled to find her command early, hitting Staats to lead off the game. After a sacrifice bunt, Collmus hit Alyssa Wolejko with a pitch and walked Joanna Chalifoux to load the bases. Collmus then hit her third batter of the inning, Samantha Chevalier, to force in a run. With the bases still loaded, Molly O'Brien walked to make it 2-0. The next batter, Kristin Schmidt, singled through the left side, scoring both Chevalier and Chalifoux to give Union a 4-0 lead. Dani Hennel then drove in the fifth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Union would score a run in the second and run in the fourth to go up 7-0. RIT would get its lone run in the fourth, as Cook and Wolcott hit back-to-back singles. McManus would drive in Cook, who was on third, with a groundout to make it 7-1.

Wolejko was the story for Union, going 4-for-4 with three RBI's and two runs scored. She was also dominant on the mound, allowing just three hits, while striking out 10 RIT batters for her sixth win of the season. She threw 68 of her 93 pitches for strikes.

O'Brien and Schmidt drove in a pair of runs apiece in game two for Union, locking up the fourth and final Liberty League Tournament berth.

Cook was 2-for-3 for RIT in game two, en route to finishing the doubleheader 4-for-6. Collmus fell to 4-11 this season on the mound, allowing seven earned runs in seven innings.

RIT returns to action on Wednesday, with a non-conference home doubleheader against Geneseo that gets underway at 3 p.m.