TROY, NY –  17th-ranked and No. 2-seeded University of Rochester softball won its third-straight Liberty League Conference Tournament, twice defeating the No. 3-seeded Ithaca College Bombers in extra innings on Saturday, including a 10th-inning, walk-off victory in game two, to clinch the conference crown and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Doris Robison Field.
 
The Yellowjackets topped the Bombers in game one, 3-2, in eight innings, before walking off in the bottom of the 10th inning of game two, 5-4, to clinch the championship. With the two wins, UR moves to 36-7 on the season, while Ithaca drops to 27-12-1.
 
First-year Molly Broccolo was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Tournament after pitching in four out of the Yellowjackets' five tournament games. The first-year made four appearances and three starts, going 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched. Broccolo allowed just five runs on 22 hits, walking five and striking out eight.
 
GAME ONE: #17 Rochester 3, Ithaca 2 (8 inn.)
Riley Piromalli would pick up right where she left off for Ithaca College, getting her third-straight start in the tournament. Piromalli set down the 'Jackets in order in the top of the first, and although Broccolo allowed a one-out single, the Yellowjacket first-year retired the next two Bombers to work a scoreless bottom of the frame.
 
Neither team could get much going against either starter again in the second before Rochester broke through against Piromalli in the third. Hunter Gilbreath got the inning started with a one-out single to left, and a batter later, Ally Kim laced a two-out double to right center, scoring Gilbreath to give the Yellowjackets the lead. Baily Nicholoff then legged out an infield single, scoring Kim from third to make it a 2-0 UR advantage.
 
Ithaca would look to counter with two hits, including a leadoff single from Madison Casale, in the bottom of the inning, but Broccolo got Jessie Lopez to ground into a fielder's choice, and then Nicholoff threw Lopez out trying to go from first to third on Allison Dell'Orto's single to end the inning and keep Rochester in front, 2-0.
 
Both starters then settled down over the fourth and fifth, before the Bombers would knot things up in the bottom of the sixth. A walk and two-straight singles against Broccolo loaded the bases for Haley Petrucci, whose RBI groundout cut Rochester's lead to 2-1.
 
Tava Kasper then leveled the score at two-all with another single and forced Rochester to make a call to the bullpen, bringing in another first-year, Maddie White to relieve Broccolo with runners at the corners and just one out.
 
But White struck out Belle de Oliveira and got  Kailey Collins to foul out to strand the go-ahead runner on third, and then worked a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out a pair to send the game into extras.
 
In the top of the eighth, Gilbreath again keyed Rochester's rally, drawing a one-out walk. Jensen Sminchak pinch-ran for Gilbreath and Lauren Keys pinch-hit for Alexis Klee, and white Keys doubled down the left-field line, Sminchak was thrown out trying to score from first, keeping the score level at two-all.
 
However, after Kim drew a 12-pitch walk to extend the inning, Nicholoff found a hole with an RBI single through the left side, scoring Klee to give Rochester a 3-2 lead.
 
And though Petrucci's two-out single put the game-tying run on base for Ithaca, White struck out Kasper, the first-year's fourth strikeout of the day, to finish off the victory and send the Yellowjackets and Bombers to a decisive, game seven.
 
White (5-0) earned the win, allowing just one hit while striking out four over 2.2 innings of relief, while Broccolo allowed two runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings pitched.
 
For Ithaca, Piromalli allowed three runs on five hits, walking two and striking out three over 8.0 innings pitched.
 
Nicholoff went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Rochester at the plate, while Kim went 1-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored and RBI, and Gilbreath went 1-for-2 with a walk and run scored.
 
GAME TWO: #17 Rochester 5, Ithaca 4 (10 inn.)
With Emily Sharlach toeing the rubber for the Yellowjackets in game two, Ithaca would jump out to an early lead. Three-straight singles by Sela Scheinman, Dell'Orto and Hudson Hassler put the Bombers on the scoreboard, 1-0, but Sharlach would retire the next three Ithaca batters to keep the deficit at just one.
 
The Yellowjackets would then look to answer in the bottom of the frame, with Nicholoff reaching on an error and Keiper on a hit-by-pitch, but Anna Cornell would strand both runners in scoring position, keeping Ithaca out in front by a run.
 
In the top of the third, the Bombers would add to their lead, and force Rochester to go to their bullpen. Scheinman again led off the inning with a single, and after Broccolo relieved Sharlach, stole second. Dell'Orto followed with another single to put runners on second and third, and while Broccolo struck out Hassler, Petrucci made it a 2-0 Ithaca lead with a bunt single, before Kasper singled up the middle to make it 3-0.
 
Rochester would answer back though in the bottom of the frame, with back-to-back doubles by Klee and Kim bringing home UR's first run of the game home. Two batters later, Keiper followed up with another double to cut Ithaca's lead to just 3-2, but the Bombers would bring Piromalli to relieve Cornell, and the senior worked out of the inning without allowing another run.
 
The 'Jackets would then load the bases in the fifth, but Piromalli worked out of the threat, striking out Kim and getting Nicholoff to fly out to keep Ithaca out in front by a run.
 
Piromalli would again strand a runner in scoring position in the fifth before Broccolo did the same to keep Ithaca's lead at just one in the top of the sixth.
 
In the top of the seventh, Ithaca looked to add to its lead with back-to-back singles from Dell'Orto and Hassler, but White again relieved Broccolo and set down the next three Bombers to keep it at just a one-run lead.
 
And in the bottom of the seventh, Rochester would quickly knot the score at three. Kim led off the inning with a single and stole second and Nicholoff would level the score at three-all with an RBI single to center.
 
Nicholoff would steal second and represent the game-winning run, but Ithaca would escape the jam with some help from a double play, sending the game, once again, into extra innings.
 
While White worked 1-2-3 eighth and ninth innings, Rochester would load the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but come away empty as Piromalli got a strikeout looking on the outside corner.
 
The Bombers then would push one across in the top of the 10th, taking advantage of a defensive miscue by the 'Jackets to take a 4-3 lead. Following Petrucci's leadoff single, back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Kasper and de Oliveira, a fielding error on Comolli's grounder allowed the first-year to come home to score, making it a 4-3 Bombers' lead.
 
But once again, the Yellowjackets would have an answer in the bottom of the frame, and this time, they'd finish things off with a walk-off.
 
After Piromalli retired the leadoff batter, Gilbreath hit a single to right center to bring the game-winning run to the plate. Klee grounded the ball to the pitcher, but a throwing error allowed Klee to reach and take second, moving Gilbreath, the game-tying run, to third base with just one out.
 
Another throwing error, this time on Kim's grounder, brought Gilbreath home to tie the game at 4-4 and move Klee to third representing the championship-winning run. And although Piromalli got the next batter to foul out, Gorecki laced a walk-off single through the right side, scoring Klee to give the 'Jackets a 5-4 extra-inning victory, and their third-straight Liberty League Championship.
 
White (6-0) again earned the win, allowing an unearned run on one hit, walking one and striking out four over 4.0 innings pitched. In 4.0 innings of relief, Broccolo allowed one run on six hits, striking out two, while Sharlach allowed two runs on four hits over 2.0 innings pitched.
 
For Ithaca, Piromalli (14-8) took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits over 7.0 innings pitched. Cornell allowed two runs on three hits over 2.2 innings pitched, getting the game-two start for the Bombers.
 
At the plate, Gorecki, Kim and Nicholoff each tied the program record for the most at-bats in a game with six. Gorecki went 2-for-6 with an RBI, Kim went 3-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, and Nicholoff went 1-for-6 with an RBI.
 
Keiper went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI as UR tallied four doubles and stole three bags on in game two. Klee also scored two runs, going 1-for-4 with a walk.
 
The Yellowjackets earn the Liberty League conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out where they're heading when the NCAA Division III Softball Selection Show airs on Monday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. EST.