ROCHESTER, NY – Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) threw the seventh no-hitter program history, as the RIT softball team (13-21) extended its winning streak to five games after sweeping visiting Houghton College (5-30) by scores of 4-1 and 9-0 in five innings at sun baked Tiger Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Valentine was dominant in game two; striking out seven hitters, while walking two batters for her third straight win. After scattering a pair a walks in each of the first two innings, Valentine retired nine straight batters before hitting a batter with two outs in the fifth and final inning. Carolin Strasswimmer reached on an error before Adrienne Huston popped up.
Valentine's no-hitter was saved by a great defensively play by Mackenzie Martin, who robbed Bailey Shattell of a sure hit with a lightning quick snare of her line drive with one out in the fourth.
The sophomore hurler lowered her earned run average to 3.19. She has not allowed an unearned run over her last 19 innings. It was RIT's first no-hitter since Alyssa Dixon against Rose Hulman on Feb. 28, 2013.
Martin would come up in the bottom of the fourth inning and with RIT already up 4-0, launched a two-run homer over the left field fence for her second of the season. Two batters later,
Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) singled in
Emily Shoemaker (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West) scored on a throwing error on the play, making it 8-0. Wolcott would score on a ground out by
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), making it 9-0.
Blaker would open the scoring in the bottom of the third inning, hitting a bases clearing triple to make it 3-0. She would drive in five runs on the afternoon.
RIT had 11 hits and tied a season high with nine runs in game two. Martin was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Blaker was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs. Wolcott was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and
Katelyn Koester (Amherst, NY/St. Mary's School for the Deaf) was 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) also added a double, while
Emily Shoemaker (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) scored twice.
In game one, RIT jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-out, two-run single by Blaker, scoring Martin and
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda).
Houghton would cut the RIT lead to 2-1 in the fifth inning, as Strasswimmer dropped a single just inside the right field line, scoring Jessica Hayner. A great throw from Blaker would cut down Gabrielle Brewster at third base on the play, averting further damage. In the sixth, Houghton would put runners on second and third with one out, but a strikeout and fly out ended the rally.
In RIT's half of the sixth, Wolcott led off with a towering home run that hit off the scoreboard in left field to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Amber Libby (Waterboro, ME/Massabesic) would drive in
Emma Sarles (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) with a run-scoring ground out to make it 4-1.
RIT hurler Lauren Hurler was strong, allowing six hits and an unearned run, while striking out eight batters for her ninth win of the season. Mahar needed just 102 pitches to lower her earned run average to 3.58 on the season, improving to 9-8.
RIT wore special green jerseys as part of a fundraiser to promote awareness for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitits (PSC), while Sarles suffers from. PSC is a rare bile duct disease in which the bile ducts become scarred and can cause serious liver damage, including liver cancer. The only known cure for the disease is a liver transplant.
RIT wraps up the 2015 season looking to continue its torrid run with a doubleheader at Alfred State College on Saturday. Game one will get underway at 1 p.m.
