SOUTHSIDE FIELD – Rochester and Ithaca split a pair of hard-fought softball games on Saturday afternoon. Rochester won the opener, 7-3, and the Bombers took the nightcap, 7-4. Rochester is 18-5 overall, 12-1 in the Liberty League. Ithaca, fresh off a sweep of nationally-ranked Cortland, is 11-3 overall, 7-1 in the league. They will go at it again on Sunday, this time at Ithaca.
 
The games were remarkably similar in several areas – strong individual pitching performances, clutch hitting, and some late-game offense that kept the outcome in doubt until the final out was recorded.
 
Game One:
Hannah Leahy won her seventh straight decision with a gutsy complete-game effort. In seven innings, she scattered eight hits, allowed three earned runs, walked one, and fanned eight. She hit two batters. Leahy is 7-2 currently.
 
The loss went to Ithaca's Beth Fleming (5-2). She pitched through the first four innings and three batters into the fifth. Fleming yielded six hits, four walks, and one hit batsman. That contributed to six earned runs. She struck out two. Riley Piromalli allowed three hits, one earned run, and struck out one in two innings of work.
 
UR got a pair of two-run home runs – from Allison Beckwith in the second inning (it put the Yellowjackets up, 2-0) and from Hannah Keiper in the sixth. Sammi Re and Jen Carson had two hits apiece. Carson drove in two runs; Re knocked in one.
 
For Ithaca, Allison Dell'Orto had two hits and an RPI, Haley White had a solo home run in the sixth. Daniellea Mulvey had an RBI double in the fifth when the Bomber offense showed signs of coming to life.
 
Leahy was strong through the first four innings, allowing just three base runners. UR took the lead in the second. Toni Anne Hahn walked. Two outs later, Beckwith drove a Fleming pitch over the left field fence. The lead went to 3-0 in the fourth. Alexis Pope doubled and Carson singled her home.
 
IC strung together back to back doubles from Kailey Collins and Mulvey in the fifth. Leahy struck out pinch-hitter Hudson Hassler. She retired Tava Kasper on a long fly to center that moved Mulvey to third. A hit batsman put runners at the corners. Dell'Orto singled to right, scoring Mulvey (3-2). Julia Lofreddo lined out to Alexis Pope at third base.
 
Rochester scored three more I the fifth. Re walked and Keiper homered to left center. Hahn doubled to right center, which chased Fleming and brought on Piromalli. Pope flied out with Hahn moving to third. She scored on Carson's liner off the shortstop's glove.
 
White's homer in the sixth started another IC rally. Gaffney singled. Leahy got a strikeout, then hit Mulvey to put two aboard. With Hassler at bat, pinch-runner Allison may stole third and Mulvey, trailing the play, advanced to second. Leahy earned her seventh strikeout by fanning Hassler. Kasper ended the inning by bouncing back to the mound. In the UR sixth, Marissa russo and Re hit back to back doubles to make it 7-3.

Game Two:
Ithaca scored four times in the fifth (one unearned), one in the sixth, and two more in the seventh to rally for the 7-4 victory. That was the offensive backing that Piromelli needed. She went the distance for the win after throwing two innings of relief in game one. She allowed five hits in the complete game win, walked three, struck out four, hit one, and gave up four runs (three earned). She is 6-1.
 
The loss went to Emily Sharlach (5-2). In seven innings, she gave up 10 hits, seven runs (six earned), hit one, and struck out five.
 
UR scored an unearned run in the first. Keiper doubled with two down. Hahn's long fly to left was dropped at the fence. She reached second and Keiper scored. Piromelli walked Pope and Beckwith to load the bases, then retired Carson on an infield grounder. She settled down after that, retiring 13 of the next 15 over four-plus innings.
 
Sharlach was just as effective. Gabby Laccona singled to start the game but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Dell'Orto singled for the first of what would be three hits for her in game two. Sharlach set down 11 of the next 12 hitters to get through the fourth. The only baserunner was Gaffney, who was hit by a pitch.
 
In the IC fifth, the visitors sandwiched two doubles around a single by Mulvey. It was 1-1 with runners on second and third. Two short fly balls couldn't produce a run. But Dell'Orto doubled to center to score two. She moved up on a wild pitch and awarded home when the ball was thrown away. It was 4-1 and grew to 5-1 on Gaffney's one-out home run to center in the sixth.
 
Rochester rallied in its half of the sixth. Keiper singled and Alexis Klee came on to run. Hahn walked. Pope hit a home run over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to 5-4. After two outs, Madi Turner singled off the third baseman's glove. Pinch-hitter Erin Bevec punched a single through the right side. Piromelli struck out Russo to end the threat.
 
The Bombers added two crucial runs in the seventh. With two down, Laccona singled. Dell'Orto doubled her home and scored on Lofreddo's sharp single to left.