TROY, NY –  17th-ranked University of Rochester softball bounced back from its opening-game defeat to down both the No. 4-seeded Union College and No. 1-seeded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Friday at Doris Robison Field and advance to Saturday's Liberty League Softball Tournament Championship, where they'll need to defeat the No. 2-seeded Bombers twice to hoist the title.
 
The 'Jackets opened their day with an 8-0, five-inning, run-rule-shortened win over Union (NY), before defeating host RPI, 5-1. No. 2-seeded Ithaca topped RPI earlier in the day, 5-0, behind Riley Piromalli's one-hitter, to advance to the championship, where they'll face the 'Jackets beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
 
GAME ONE: #17 Rochester 8, Union (NY) 0 (5 inn.)
Lauren Keys got the start for the Yellowjackets against the Dutchwomen, and Union looked to strike first with three-straight hits in the top of the first.
 
Back-to-back, one-out singles by Tara Harntnett and Karson Saunders put runners at first and second for Olivia Valery, who laced another single to center. However, the 'Jackets would catch Hartnett in a pickle trying to score from second, and then Keys got Ellie Wintringe to foul out to strand a pair and keep the game scoreless heading to the bottom of the first.
 
Rochester would then look to score first with two-straight singles from Ally Kim and Jensen Sminchak, but Amanda Granato retired the next three 'Jacket batters to match Keys and strand two, keeping things scoreless through one.
 
But after Keys pitched a 1-2-3 top of the second, the Yellowjackets scratched out three-straight two-out hits to take the lead. Molly Mason got things started with a two-out double, and Alexis Klee followed with an RBI single to give the 'Jackets a 1-0 lead. Klee would then come around to score on Kim's two-out double, giving UR a 2-0 lead after two.
 
Emily Sharlach relieved Keys to start the third and worked around a pair of baserunners, stranding two Dutchwomen before Rochester added to its lead in the third.
 
Singles from Hannah Keiper and Bailey Nicholoff put two on with just one out for Madi Turner, who reached on a throwing error by the Dutchwomen, bringing both Keiper and Nicholoff around to score to make it a 4-0 lead.
 
A wild pitch then made it 5-0, bringing Turner home from third, before Klee followed Mason's bunt single with an inside-the-park home run, extending the Yellowjackets' lead to 7-0.
 
Rochester would tack on one more on Keiper's sacrifice bunt, scoring Jensen Sminchak, who led off the inning with a single, stole second and took third on Jenna Gorecki's groundout, before Sharlach worked around a hit-by-pitch to shutdown the Dutchwomen in the fifth and finish off the 8-0, run-rule-shortened victory.
 
Sharlach (7-2) earned the win, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out one in 3.0 innings of relief, while Keys got the start for UR, allowing three hits over 2.0 innings pitched.
 
Granato (6-10) took the loss for Union, allowing five runs, two earned, on seven hits over 2.2 innings pitched.
 
Four 'Jackets turned in multi-hit performances, led by Klee, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI. Kim went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, while Mason went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, and Sminchak went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases.
 
GAME TWO: #17 Rochester 5, RPI 1
After Brooke Sroczinski retired the Yellowjackets in order in the top of the first, RPI loaded the bases against Molly Broccolo in the bottom of the frame.
 
Erin Askins singled, Catherine Worthington walked and Callista Adorno drew a hit-by-pitch, but Broccolo struck out Alex Ledger and got Caroline Peel to ground into a fielder's choice to strand all three baserunners and keep the game scoreless.
 
Turner would notch UR's first hit in the top of the second, and the 'Jackets would put two on with two outs, but Sroczinski worked out of the jam, inducing a lineout to send the Engineers to the plate.
 
Both pitchers then settled down, with just two combined baserunners over the third and fourth, before Rochester broke through in the fifth.
 
Sroczinski struck out Turner to leadoff the fifth, but Turner reached on a wild pitch to give UR a leadoff baserunner. Savannah Nowak then followed with a single, before a wild pitch advanced both Nowak and Loren Castilloux, who pinch-ran for Turner, to second and third, before Kim drew a one-out walk to load the bases. A batter later, Gorecki broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single through the left side, and Keiper followed with another RBI single, plating Kim to give Rochester a 3-1 lead.
 
The ' Jackets' lead would hold till the bottom of the sixth, when RPI would plate a run on Adorno's groundout, following Worthington's leadoff double. But Broccolo would limit the damage to just one run, and up 3-1, UR would add two more in the top of the seventh.
 
Looking for some insurance before the bottom of the seventh, Klee led things off against Sroczinski with an infield single, and Kim followed with an RBI triple to make it a 4-1 lead. Then Hunter Gilbreath brought Kim home with a sacrifice bunt, extending UR's lead to 5-1.
 
And Broccolo would make quick work of the Engineers in the bottom of the seventh, getting a groundout, lineout and strikeout to finish off the 5-1 win and send the 'Jackets to Saturday's final.
 
Broccolo (18-2) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits, striking out four over 7.0 innings pitched. Sroczinski also pitched a complete game for RPI but allowed five runs on six hits.
 
Kim again led UR at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a triple, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI, while Gorecki went 1-for-4 with two RBI, driving in the go-ahead run.
 
Keiper also plated a run for Rochester, while Castilloux, Nowak and Klee each scored a run.
 
The Yellowjackets will next face Ithaca on Saturday, May 13 at 12:00 p.m. at Doris Robison Field, needing to beat the Bombers twice to hoist their third-straight Liberty League Tournament Title.