SOUTHSIDE FIELD – First-year Lauren Keys pitched the eighth no-hitter in school history as ochester split a Liberty League softball doubleheader with Union College on Friday afternoon. Union won the opener, 10-1, and Rochester captured the nitecap, 7-0.
 
The split gives the Yellowjackets an overall record of 21-13. UR is 11-1 in the Liberty League and hosts Ithaca College on Saturday at 1 pm. Union is 19-11, 5-9 in the Liberty League.
 
Union's Amanda Granato pitched a three-hitter in the opener to defeat Rochester. She didn't allow any walks and she did not record a strikeout. She inducted eight groundouts and 13 flyouts.
 
The no-hitter by Keys is the second to be thrown by a first-year player. Eleni Wechsler (2014-17 pitched a no-hitter vs. Skidmore (8-0 on April 13, 2014) in her first season at UR. Wechsler finished her career with three no-hitters. Brittany Grage had two no-hitters and the University's only perfect game (May 3, 2014 vs. RPI in the Liberty League playoffs. Hannah Leahy threw a no-hitter against Skidmore on April 24, 2021 and came within one  inning of throwing a second one in a week's time when the Yellowjackets played St. John Fisher College. The first no-hitter in school history was thrown by Kathy Gagne on April 2, 2002 in a 6-0 victory at home vs. D'Youville College.
 
Game One
Union College 10, Rochester 1:
Granato needed 75 pitches to earn her 10^th victory of the season in the opener. She allowed three baserunners in the first four innings. When Rochester's Hunter Gilbreath homered with two down in the fourth, it cut the Dutchwomen's lead to 3-1. Granato clamped down. She retired the last 10 Rochester hitters to complete the win. She also contributed to her own victory. She had three hits and drove in three runs. Karson Saunders and Olivia Valery had two RBIs each.
 
Union had four sacrifice bunts – three by Julissa Malana and one from Anna Zdunczyk. Each built a scoring threat. In the first, Tara Hartnett singled, was bunted to second by Malana, moved to third on a Saunders single, and scored on Valery's flyout to center field.
 
Rochester started Christin Napierkowski allowed the one run and a total of four hits – two in each of the first two innings. She was replaced by Abbie Biggs in the third. Malana singled to start the third and scored on a home run by Saunders. Biggs set down six straight. The home run by Gilbreath gave the Yellowjackets life with three innings to go.
 
Union scored three unearned runs in the fifth to pull away. Hartnett singled and Malana bunted her over. Saunders and Valery walked to load the bases. Tatum Perkins grounded back to Biggs in the circle. She fired home to get Hartnett on a forceout. The throw down to first trying for the double play was off target. Saunders and Valery scored. Granato followed with a single to center scoring Perkins for a 6-0 lead. Union added four more runs in the seventh, one unearned, to seal the win. Biggs pitched the final five innings for Rochester, allowing eight hits, nine runs (five earned), with three walks and five strikeouts.

 
Game Two
Rochester 7, Union 0:
Keys earned her seventh win of the season (7-6) with three walks, six strikeouts, and one hit batsman. She set down seven in a row at one point, then retired nine straight in the later innings. In the seventh, Saunders lined out to short. Valery walked. Keys struck out Perkins for the second out. Riley Callahan, the third Union pitcher, walked. Morgan Napier reached when her grounder was mishandled. That loaded the bases. Anna Zdunczyk flied out to left, ending the game.
 
The loss went to Granato who pitched the first three innings. She allowed six hits, four runs (all earned), and walked one. Rochelle Nuqui pitched two innings (two hits, two earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts). Callahan finished up, giving up only a  home run to Rochester's Loren Castilloux.
 
Madi Turner had three hits and one RBI for Rochester. Allison Beckwith had a pair of doubles – the first one giving UR a 1-0 lead in the first. Gilbreath had an RBI double in the third when Rochester collected three two-base hits and scored three times. Castilloux had two hits, including the HR off Callahan in the sixth.
 
With two down in the first, Hannah Keiper walked. Beckwith ripped a full-count pitch into the left field corner for a double and Keiper slid home ahead of the tag for the first out. The lead went to 4-0 in the third. Keiper forced Castilloux on a groundout. Beckwith doubled to left center, sending Keiper to third.  Bailey Nicholoff grounded out with Beckwith crossing to third. Gilbreath and Turner clubbed back to back doubles that scored two more runs.
 
Rochester scored two unconventional runs in the fourth inning to open a 6-0 advantage. Alexis Klee singled. Ally Kim grounded the ball to short. After a split second's hesitation, the throw to second for the forceout was late. Castilloux struck out. With Keiper at bat, the runners stole a base, moving Klee to third and Kim to second. Keiper walked to load the bases. Beckwith popped up for out number two. Nicholoff struck out, but the pitch was in the dirt. Klee scored and the other runners advanced one base. When the ball wasn't retrieved immediately, Kim raced home for a steal. Keiper moved to third and Nicholoff was on second. Gilbreath popped up for the third out.