ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT softball team (8-10) used a pair of late rallies to earn a doubleheader split against Alfred University (14-6) at Tiger Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. In game one, RIT rallied from a 4-0 deficit to force extra innings before falling by a score of 5-4 in game one. In game two, RIT scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie en route to a 4-1 win.
In game two, RIT trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning before knotting the game at 1-1.
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Laura Weintraub (Syosset, NY/Syosset). With two outs,
McKenzie Martin (Deposit, NY/Deposit) single to right, knocking in Lunderman for the tying run.
RIT hurler
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and Alfred starer Kerri Keeler matched zeroes until the bottom of the sixth inning, when RIT erupted for three runs to break the tie. Martin led off with a hard single down the left field line and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda).
Danielle Hotz (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) reached on a infield single that bounced in front of the first baseman and bounced back towards the plate, putting runners on first and third with one out.
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West), who provided late game heroics in the opener, would plate Martin, who was off on contact, with a ground out to second.
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) crushed an opposite field double to right center field to score Hotz, making it 3-1 Tigers. After an error moved Killian to third, the junior catcher would score on a wild pitch to complete the scoring.
Valentine, who allowed just an unearned run in the third inning, did a great job shutting down Alfred's high octane offense, allowing just four hits and two walks, while striking out six batters for her fifth win of the year.
Martin was 2-for-3 for the Tigers. Becca Alexander was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and scored Alfred's lone run.
In the opener, Alfred jumped out to a 4-0 lead, taking advantage of a costly RIT error to score four times in the top of the third inning. The big hit was a two-out bases loaded by Nicole Maher that scored a pair of runs.
RIT would chip away at the lead, scoring a run in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game.
In the bottom of the seventh, Martin reached on an error, putting the tying run on base. After a pair of outs, Blaker came up as RIT's last chance, and down to her final strike, crushed a line drive that easily cleared the wall in left center field for her second collegiate home run, tying the game at 4-4. RIT nearly won it later in the inning, getting runners on second and third, but could not push the run across.
Alfred would break the tie in the eighth, as Dana Torchia was placed on second to start the inning, per NCAA rules and came across on a hard single to center by Jasmine Pacini. RIT would get its chance in the bottom half of the inning, with a runner on third with one out, but a ground out and fly out ended the game.
RIT out-hit Alfred, 9-8. Killian led the Tigers with three hits, while Blaker and Hotz had two hits apiece.
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) took the tough loss, allowing eight hits, while all five runs were unearned. She struck out five batters.
Picini was 3-for-4 with two RBIs to pace the Saxons. Shannon Schaefer earned the win in relief.
RIT is right back in action on Thursday with a home doubleheader against No. 20 St. John Fisher College that gets underway at 3 p.m.
