SALISBURY,  MD – Say this for the opening weekend of softball season on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The series between Salisbury University and the University of Rochester hinted at four tough games with the teams ranked #8 and #9 in the pre-season Division III poll of the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
 
It was supposed to include The College of New Jersey, ranked #10 in the same poll. The Lions withdrew, so Rochester and Salisbury decided to play two games on Sunday rather than just one.
 
The Sunday contests turned into pitcher's duels. Salisbury won both, 4-1 in the opener, and 3-0 in the nightcap. The Sea Gulls improved to 10-0 with the sweep. Rochester is 0-4. The Yellowjackets made the eight-hour journey down to SU on Friday and played their first game of the spring on Saturday. Salisbury, meanwhile, came onto its home field Saturday with a 6-0 record which included a two-game sweep of defending national champion Virginia Wesleyan University.

 

In game one, first-year Lauren Keys pitched a six-inning complete game, allowing nine hits, four runs (all earned), walked one and struck out one. Rochester staked her to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Bailey Nicholoff singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Ally Kim's grounder to the right side pushed Nicholoff to third base. She scored on a sac fly to right by Hannah Keiper.
 
Salisbury took the lead in its half with a quick start to the inning. Abby Mace walked and scored on Jillian Dawson's double to left. Natalie Paoli's single put runners at the corners. Carrie Jacoby singled to left and advanced to second on a fielding error. Dawson scored. After a pop up, Paoli scored on a sac fly to center.
 
Keys settled down. After the Jacoby base hit, she retired nine in a row to get through the first three innings. Rochester helped her with a good defensive play in the fourth. There were runners at second and third with one out. The Sea Gulls tried a squeeze bunt but UR catcher Hunter Gilbreath grabbed the ball and tagged out pinch-runner Kat Nashold.
 
The win went to Lindsey Windsor who threw a complete game five-inning victory on Saturday (12-1 win). This time in seven innings, she allowed three hits, one earned run,, issued no walks, and struck out five.
 
Emily Sharlach went the distance in game two. The Sea Gulls hit three home runs off her on Saturday, jumping to a big lead early. This time, SU managed six hits, but only one in the last three innings. Sharlach allowed three earned runs, walked three, and struck out five. She stranded six base runners, five in scoring position. She did not permit the Sea Gulls to string together hits.
 
Savannah Sheets picked up the win for Salisbury in game two. Sheets came on to relieve in Saturday's game two with one run in and no out in the Rochester third. The Yellowjackets jumped to a 3-0 lead over Nicole Ortega in the first three innings. They could not get a lead in this one. Sheets allowed four hits, one walk, and struck out three. Gilbreath reached base twice for Rochester. She walked leading off the fifth, then she hit a one-out single to left center in the seventh. The other hits were by Keiper in the first, Alexis Klee in the third, and Ally Kim in the sixth. She singled with one down and promptly stole second. Sheets wriggled out of it by striking out Keiper and getting Bryce West to ground out to short.
 
The Yellowjackets will fly to the West Coast at week's end and will begin a 10-game road trip at five California institutions. Games are scheduled to begin on March 7 and run through March 12.