GENESEO, NY – 18th-ranked University of Rochester softball ran its program-record win streak to 24, sweeping its doubleheader against the SUNY Geneseo Knights on Tuesday afternoon at Vic Raschi Softball Field. The Yellowjackets pounded out 15 runs on 11 hits en route to a 15-3, six-inning victory in game one, before Lauren Keys spun a one-hitter, shutting out the Knights in a five-inning, run-rule shortened, 9-0 win in game two.
 
With the two wins, No. 18 Rochester moves to 27-5 on the year, while SUNY Geneseo falls to 15-14-1.
 
GAME ONE: #18 Rochester 15, SUNY Geneseo 3 (6 inn.)
Ally Kim and Bailey Nicholoff got the Yellowjacket offense going in early in game one, as Kim drew a leadoff walk and quickly stole second before Nicholoff hit an RBI double to bring Kim home and give UR an early 1-0 lead. Later on in the inning, Nicholoff would come around to score on Madi Turner's RBI groundout, and Rochester would play from in front, up 2-0 after one.
 
Leah VanDerwarker would tally the Knights' first hit against Molly Broccolo, as the first-year allowed six hits over 5.2 innings pitched against Geneseo, but Broccolo got a trio of groundouts to strand the runner at third and keep Rochester in front.
 
Broccolo would leave another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the second before Rochester added to its lead in the top of the third.
 
Kim again got things going with a leadoff single, stole second and took third on a wild pitch, before Jenna Gorecki made it a 3-0 UR lead with an RBI double to left. Hannah Keiper then drew a one-out walk, and Jensen Sminchak, who pinch-ran for Gorecki, came around to score on Turner's infield single and a Knights' throwing error to make it 4-0.
 
The 'Jackets then added another run on a second defensive miscue in the inning, with Keiper scoring on Nowak's grounder, to extend the lead to 5-0.
 
SUNY Geneseo would look to counter in the bottom of the frame, with a pair of singles from Tara Brochu and Rebecca Schwartz, but Broccolo struck Brooke Fraas out swinging to leave two more on base.
 
In the top of the fourth, Kim again got a Rochester rally started with a one-walk, stole second and scored on Nicholoff's RBI single, giving UR a 6-0 lead. And while the Knights would make a call to the bullpen, Keiper would add another on an RBI single, scoring Nicholoff from second to make it a 7-0 advantage.
 
The Knights would break through and plate a pair of unearned runs against Broccolo in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of defensive miscues on Brochu's grounder, but the 'Jackets would answer right back in the top of the fifth.
 
Up 7-2, Hunter Gilbreath reached on a one-out single, moved to second on Loren Castilloux's groundout and third on a passed ball. Kim then reached base on again, this time on a hit-by-pitch, and again stole second for the sophomore's fourth steal of the game, tying the single-game program record.
 
Nicholoff then made it 9-2 with a two-run single, extending Rochester's lead to 9-0. And after Broccolo worked around a pair of walks in the bottom of the fifth, the Yellowjackets capped off their offensive output with a six-run sixth.
 
Molly Mason's RBI single made it 10-2 before a pair of bases-loaded walks drawn by Kim and Nicholoff made it 12-2 in favor of the road squad. Gorecki then smashed a two-run double to make it 14-2, while another bases-loaded walk drawn by Turner pressed the advantage to 15-2.
 
And while the Knights would plate a run in the bottom of the frame against Broccolo, Maddie White finished things off, getting Kaitlyn Schmitz to fly out to finish off the 15-3, six-inning victory.
 
Broccolo (15-2) earned the win, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits, walking five and striking out two over 5.2 innings pitched. Mikayla Bucci (1-2) took the loss for Geneseo, allowing seven runs on six hits over 3.2 innings pitched.
 
Nicholoff led UR at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, walk, three runs scored and five RBI, while Kim scored five runs, going 1-for-1 with three walks, a hit-by-pitch, four stolen bases, five runs scored and one RBI.
 
Nicholoff also added two doubles, going 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
 
GAME TWO: #18 Rochester 9, SUNY Geneseo 0 (5 inn.)
With five-straight hits to open the top of the first inning, the Yellowjackets again struck first, plating five in the top of the first to take the lead. Kim started things off with a single up the middle, and Nicholoff quickly made it 1-0 with an RBI double to left center. Gorecki then made it 2-0 with an RBI single to left, before Keiper reached on an infield single to put two on with nobody out.
 
Turner's RBI single made it 3-0, and Savannah Nowak followed with a walk to load the bases. Two batters later, Klee plated two more with a two-run single to center, and the 'Jackets led 5-0 before the Knights even stepped to the plate.
 
Lauren Keys made the game-two start for UR and quickly erased a leadoff baserunner as Rochester turned two on Gabriella Smith's sacrifice bunt. Hannah Recine then smacked Geneseo's first hit of the game to left field, but that'd be all Keys would give up the rest of the way.
 
After retiring the next batter via a groundout, Keys would allow just two baserunners the rest of the way, retiring six straight over the second through fourth innings.
 
Rochester would get back on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, with Nicholoff again bringing a run home with an RBI single, scoring Klee from second, who led off the inning with an infield single. Kim then made it 7-0, coming home to score as Nicholoff was thrown out trying to steal second, and Keys struck out a pair in the bottom of the fourth, stranding a one-out baserunner.
 
In the fifth, UR would add two more on Nowak's RBI groundout, scoring Sminchak from third after the first-year stole second and took third on a passed ball, and Klee's RBI single, before Keys worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to finish off the 9-0, run-rule shortened victory.
 
Keys (3-2) earned the win, one-hitting the Knights over 5.0 innings pitched. Sydney Bolton (1-2) took the loss for SUNY Geneseo, allowing seven runs on 10 hits over 3.1 innings pitched.
 
Klee plated three runs for Rochester, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and three RBI, while Gorecki, Kim and Nicholoff each added two hits, with Gorecki going 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI, Kim going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, and Nicholoff going 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and two RBI.
 
Rochester next returns home to Southside Field to host RPI in a battle of the top two teams in the Liberty League in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 29. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.