Softball | 5/2/2017 3:29:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT softball team qualified for its second consecutive Liberty League Tournament, heading to Robison Field on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the double-elimination championship that begins on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Second-seeded RIT will take on No. 3 seed Clarkson University in the second game Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Rensselaer is the top seed, while Skidmore is the No. 4 seed.
RIT (21-14, 8-4 Liberty League) enters the tournament having outscored its opponents, 161-112 this season. The Tigers went 4-2 against the three other teams in the tournament, earning splits against Rensselaer and Clarkson, while sweeping Skidmore.
RIT boasts a lineup with four players hitting at least .300. Freshman
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) leads the way with a .437 batting average with team-best totals of 52 hits, 30 runs scored, 10 doubles, four home runs, 25 runs batted in, 76 total bases, six stolen bases, a .477 on-base percentage, and .639 slugging percentage. She is among the top-five in the Liberty League in nearly all offensive categories. In addition, she has a .956 fielding percentage.
Sophomore second baseman
Danielle Hotz (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby), the 2016 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, is hitting .370 with 19 RBIs, a team-high 14 walks, and a .452 on-base percentage, while senior outfielder
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West) is hitting .306 with two home runs and 21 RBIs. Junior first baseman
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), and senior outfielder
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda) have two home runs apiece.
Senior hurler
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) is 9-6 with a 1.97 earned run average and has 85 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. She was the 2016 Liberty League Pitcher of the Year. Junior
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) is fourth in the league with a 2.08 earned run average in 87 1/3 innings and has an 8-6 record. Freshman
Torie Adler (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) is right behind with a 2.16 earned run average, 4-2 record, and two saves in 48 2/3 innings.
Valentine, Hotz, Blaker, senior catcher
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), and sophomore third basemen were All-Liberty League selections in 2016.
There will be a new league champion in 2017, as three-time defending champion Rochester did not qualify for the Liberty League Tournament.
Rensselaer (23-12, 9-3 Liberty League) is the No. 1 seed and is 4-2 against the tournament field this season. Stephanie Caudle leads the Engineers and the conference with seven home runs and 38 RBIs, while maintaining a .400 batting average and .700 slugging percentage. Devan Puhl is right behind with a .358 batting average and 22 RBIs. Rensselaer is hitting .312 as a team, having out-scored its opponents, 187-108 this season. On the mound, Caudle is 12-4 with a 1.88 earned run average, three saves, and 112 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings this season.
Clarkson (20-16, 7-5 Liberty League), seeded third, is 3-3 against the tournament field this season. Jamie Bridge leads the Golden Knights with a .339 batting average to go along with a home run and 19 RBIs. Raeanna Dunn is right behind with a .333 average, while Michelle Winn leads Clarkson with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. Clarkson is hitting .294 as a team, having out-scored its opponents, 180-162 this season. On the mound, Bridge is 11-8 with a 2.46 earned run average, one save, and 101 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings this season. Leah Allen is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA.
Skidmore (19-21, 6-6 Liberty League) is the No. 4 seed having won the tiebreaker over Rochester and St. Lawrence and is 1-5 against the tournament field this season. Lauren Fortunato leads the Thoroughbreds and Liberty League with a .468 batting average, .566 on-base percentage, and .817 slugging percentage to go along with three home runs and 26 RBIs. Kristina Foley has driven in 35 runs for the Thoroughbreds. Skidmore is hitting .261 as a team and is getting out-scored by its opponents, 210-178 this season. On the mound, Amanda Carilli is 13-12 with a 3.49 earned run average in 162 2/3 innings.
The Tigers split a pair of home games against Rensselaer, falling 4-0 in game one and winning game two, 3-1 on April 23. Caudle threw a perfect game for the Engineers in game one, while Guinan hit a two-run homer in game two that broke a 1-1 tie.
RIT played at Skidmore on April 8 and Clarkson on April 9. The Tigers won both ends of a doubleheader at Skidmore, winning by scores of 3-0 and 8-1. Guinan was 6-for-6 in the doubleheader with two walks, a home run, four runs scored, and a pair of RBIs. Mahar and Valentine combined to allow just six hits and an unearned run in the sweep. In the meetings vs. Clarkson, the Golden Knights won game one, 5-2 before RIT rallied to take game two, 5-3. Blaker hit a go-ahead two-run home run in game two, while Valentine hurled 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
RIT was the No. 4 seed in the 2016 Liberty League Championship and played a pair of one-run games against eventual champion Rochester and No. 2 seed Rensselaer. The Tigers have made one NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, in 2001.
Schedule of Games (Double Elimination Format):
Thursday, May 4
Game 1: 2 p.m. – No. 1 Rensselaer vs. No. 4 Skidmore
Game 2: 4:30 p.m. – No. 2 RIT vs. No. 3 Clarkson
Friday, May 5
Game 3: 10 a.m. – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 4: 12:30 p.m. – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (elimination game)
Game 5: 3 p.m. – Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 (elimination game)
Saturday, May 6
Game 6: 12 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5
Game 7: 2:30 p.m. – If Necessary (if one-loss team wins Game 6)
