TROY, NY — The No. 2 seed RIT softball team fell short in the 2017 Liberty League Championship qualifier against No. 3 seed Clarkson (22-17) 5-2, at Doris Robison Field on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday afternoon. RIT was eliminated from the double elimination tournament and finish the 2017 season with a 22-16 record. Clarkson will take on top-seed Rensselaer in the championship on Sunday.
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West) drove in both runs for the Tigers, scoring
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) and
Sarah Thayer (Tully, NY/Fabius-Pompey) in the fifth inning, cutting Clarkson's lead to 4-2.
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) started the game on the mound for the Tigers, going 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits to take the loss.
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) came in for the final 4 1/3 innings of the game, allowing one run on three hits.
Clarkson's Ali Schwenzfeier led the way with two hits, including a two-run home run. Kyrstin Messier, Jamie Bridge, and Bridget Woolley also added one RBI each. On the mound, Leah Allen started the game and pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, and picking up the win. Maggie Stark came in for the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hits and picking up the save.
Clarkson got the scoring started in the second inning, as Karlie Neuhausser scored on a fielder's choice, making it 1-0. In the third, Clarkson made it 3-0 on a two-run homer by Schwenzfeier. Later in the inning, Messier scored on a walk by Woolley with bases loaded, making it 4-0 Clarkson.
The Tigers would come back and cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Blaker smashed a single to left center, scoring Thayer and Guinan from second and third, respectively. The Tigers then trailed 4-2.
But the Golden Knights added one more run in the top of the sixth, making it 5-2, on an RBI single by Bridge.
The Tigers could not mount the comeback, failing to score in the sixth and seventh innings.
RIT's season comes to an end just one game short of the Liberty League Championship. The Tigers finish with 22-16 record, including an 8-4 mark in league play. RIT loses seniors
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda),
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West),
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena),
Sam Killian (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), and
Emma Sarles (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) to graduation.