ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT softball team (6-16, 2-6 Liberty League) dropped a pair of Liberty League home contests to Clarkson University (7-20-1, 2-6 Liberty League) from Tiger Stadium Sunday afternoon. Clarkson won game one, 3-2 and took game two, 11-1 in six innings.
Between games, RIT honored seniors
Tia Aunkst (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo),
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) and
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont).
In game one,
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a towering home run to center field.
Clarkson would answer with a run in the third inning and would take the lead for good with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Tigers tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, as
Madisen Baldwin (Washougal, WA/Washougal) hit a sacrifice fly with runners on second and third to cut the Golden Knights lead to 3-2. RIT would strand the tying run at third base.
Leah Allen got the win on the mound for Clarkson, allowing just three hits and an earned run with six strikeouts in the complete-game effort. RIT's
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) pitched well in defeat, allowing six hits and a pair of earned runs, while striking out eight batters.
Clarkson rode that momentum into game two, scoring four times in the top of the first inning, two more times in the fourth, while putting the game away with five runs in the sixth.
Summer Lancette was 3-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Golden Knights, while Michelle Winn homered and drove in three runs. Sam Mennig earned the win on the mound, scattering seven hits over six innings.
Baldwin and Lunderman were both 2-for-3 in game two for the Tigers, while
Danielle Hotz (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) added a double and
Samm Carroll (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge) drove in the lone run.
The all-time series between the two schools is now even at 6-6.
The Tigers continue their homestand Monday with two more crucial Liberty League contests against St. Lawrence University. Game one from Tiger Stadium gets underway at 2 p.m.