CLERMONT, FL — The RIT softball team (9-2) picked up two convincing wins on Wednesday morning at Hancock Park. The Tigers jumped out a big lead en route to a 12-9 win over Millikin University (5-6), before taking down Gallaudet University 12-2 in five innings.
"I'm very excited about the way that we hit today," said RIT head coach
Rebecca Stryker. "We continued it throughout both games and throughout our entire lineup."
Although the day opened with cold and windy weather, RIT's bats heated up quick, and didn't look back.
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) led the team offensively, going a combined 4-for-7, with two home runs, two singles, and eight RBIs.
In the first game RIT took down Millikin 12-9. Seven different Tigers registered hits, eight scored runs, and six had RBIs. Lunderman led both teams with four RBIs, two hits, and a run. Lunderman,
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West), and
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) all had home runs, while
Danielle Hotz (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) had two doubles and two RBIs.
On the mound,
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) picked up her second win of the season, going four innings, allowing just two earned runs on nine hits, with three strikeouts.
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) came in for the final three innings of play, getting her first save of the season, allowing two runs (none earned) on two hits, along with three strikeouts.
The Tigers went down 2-0 in the first, but came back with a monstrous second inning. RIT scored nine runs in the frame, starting with a solo home run to center field by
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West). Farmer and Hotz then batted in three more runs on hits, making it 4-2 Tigers. Then, the flood gates opened as Lunderman went deep for a three-run home run, before Killian drilled a two-run homer of her own.
Millikin added one more in the bottom half of the second, cutting it to 9-3. In the third inning, the Tigers poured it on even more.
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda) and
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) hit RBI doubles, before Lunderman knocked home another run with a single, making it 12-3.
Millikin came back with three runs in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the sixth with the help of five RIT errors, but the Tigers held on, as Mahar came up big in the final three innings, keeping Millikin away from striking distance.
In the second game, the Tigers' bats continued to find success. RIT defeated Gallaudet (5-6-1) 12-2, and out-hit the Bison 12-5.
The Tigers had three more home runs in the win, as Guinan, Lunderman, and
Laura Weintraub (Syosset, NY/Syosset) cleared the yard for RIT. Again, the offensive production was spread out among the entire team. Eight players had hits, four had RBIs, and 10 scored runs. Lunderman led the way again with a home run and four RBIs, while Guinan hit a three-run homer.
Torie Adler (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) made the start, going the full five innings, while picking up her third win of the season. The freshman allowed just two runs on five hits, and struck out two batters.
For Gallaudet, Courtney Thomas and Jordan Hogan scored runs. Hogan also picked up the loss on the mound, going one inning and allowing 10 runs on seven hits. Alyssa Barlow pitched the rest of the way, finishing with two runs against on five hits in three innings.
The Tigers went up 2-0 quickly in the first inning and added eight runs in the second. Home runs by Weintraub, Guinan, and Lunderman put the Tigers up 10-0 after the second inning. Lunderman drove in another run with an RBI single to center field in the third inning, making it 11-0.
Gallaudet got on the board in the fourth, as an RBI single with runners at the corners sent Hogan across the plate, making it 11-1.
Emma Sarles (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) would score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth, and the Bison added one more run in the fifth.
The Tigers are back in action for their final day of the National Training Center Spring Games in Florida on Thursday. RIT will take on Macalester College at 3:30 p.m., before facing Plattsburgh State at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at the Sleepy Hollow Athletic Complex in Leesburg, Fla.
