TROY, NY – 17th-ranked University of Rochester softball dropped their Liberty League Tournament opener against the Ithaca College Bombers, 2-1, in eight innings on Thursday afternoon at Doris Robison Field.
 
Neither team could get much going through the first three frames, with Molly Broccolo and Ithaca's Riley Piromalli combining to allow just two hits over the first three frames.
 
The Bombers would first threaten in the top of the fourth, with singles by Tava Kasper and Olivia Comolli, but Broccolo worked out of the jam, getting one of 10 groundouts on the afternoon for the first-year to strand a pair and keep Ithaca and Rochester scoreless through four.
 
Both Broccolo and Piromalli set down the side in the order in the fifth, but the Bombers would finally break through in the sixth. A single and fielder's choice put a runner on second for Kasper, who doubled to left center to put two on and just one out.
 
Rochester made a call to the bullpen, bringing on Lauren Keys in relief of Broccolo, but Belle de Oliveira's sacrifice fly would give the Bombers a 1-0 lead.
 
However, the 'Jackets would quickly tie things up in the bottom of the frame. Alexis Klee led off with a single, just UR's second hit of the game, and Ally Kim moved the senior into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
 
And while Piromalli retired the next Yellowjacket batter, Jenna Gorecki blooped an RBI single into center, scoring Klee from second to even the score at one-all. Jensen Sminchak would replace Gorecki as a pinch-runner at first, but the Bombers would catch Sminchak stealing to prevent any more damage.
 
Keys and Piromalli then worked 1-2-3 sevenths, before the Bombers again strung together three singles to take the lead in the top of the eighth.
 
With one out, Hudson Hassler reached on an error, before back-to-back-to-back singles by Haley Petrucci, Kasper and de Oliveira plated a run to give the Bombers a 2-1, extra-inning lead.
 
And while Klee and Kim reached on a pair of two-out singles, Piromalli finished off the victory, getting Bailey Nicholoff to foul out to strand both baserunners and finish off the victory for Ithaca.
 
Keys (4-3) took the loss for UR, allowing an unearned run on three hits over 2.2 innings pitched, while Broccolo allowed one run on five hits over 5.1 innings pitched.
 
For Ithaca, Piromalli silenced the Yellowjacket bats for much of the afternoon, holding UR to just one run on five hits over eight innings pitched, striking out five.
 
At the plate, Klee went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Kim went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, while Gorecki drove in UR's lone run with an RBI single.
 
The Yellowjackets will now look to survive and advance with an elimination game against No. 4-seeded Union College (NY) on Friday, May 12 at 12:30 p.m.