LEESBURG, FL — The RIT softball team (7-2) continued its winning ways on day three in Florida, with a 2-1 walk-off victory against Westfield State University (0-1) at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Monday evening. RIT's second game of the evening against Scranton was postponed due to rain.
"This was a great win for us," said RIT head coach
Rebecca Stryker. "The girls needed to make adjustments throughout the game, so we did. We made the plays we needed to, and got the run across that made the difference."
Torie Adler (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) started the game on the mound for the Tigers, going for five innings, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out three.
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) came in for the sixth and seventh, pitching two hitless innings, to pick up her fourth win of the season. Mahar won for the third straight day.
Six different Tigers registered hits in the game, with
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva),
Emily Lazarus (Whitehall, PA/Allentown Catholic), and
Olivia Doret (Fairfax, VA/Chantilly) leading the way with two apiece.
Sarah Thayer (Tully, NY/Fabius-Pompey),
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) and
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) also added one hit each. Thayer and
KayLee Steiner (Jamesville, NY/Manlius Pebble Hill) were the scorers for RIT.
For Westfield State, Julia Sullivan pitched a complete game, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, with one strikeout. Five different Owls registered hits, while Bri Tortora scored Westfield State's lone run.
Westfield State was the team to break the scoreless tie, as Tortora scored on an RBI double by Julia Sullivan in the top of the fifth, to make it 1-0, Owls.
RIT came right back in the bottom half of the inning, as Thayer crossed the plate on a single to deep left center field by Lazarus, tying the game at 1.
The the next two innings became a pitcher's duel, until the bottom of the seventh, when Guinan came up to the plate with Steiner on second base and one out. Guinan drove the ball to deep left field, scoring Steiner in walk-off fashion, as the Tigers came roaring out of the dugout to celebrate.
The second game of the day, scheduled at 8:30 p.m. against the University of Scranton was postponed due to weather. The Tigers and Royals will not play in the National Training Center Spring Games in Florida, but the two schools are looking to reschedule a makeup date in either Rochester or Scranton in April.
The Tigers will have Tuesday off, before returning to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Millikin University and Gallaudet University at Hancock Park in Clermont, Fla. Game one will get underway at 8 a.m., before a 10:30 a.m. start in game two.
