SALISBURY, MD – No. 18 University of Rochester softball (1-1) bounced back from a game-one defeat to force a split of their season-opening doubleheader against the Messiah University Falcons (1-4) on Saturday at the Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium. Messiah took game one, 4-1, while the 'Jackets defeated the Falcons in a run-rule-shortened five innings, 9-0 in game two to split the doubleheader.
 
GAME ONE: Messiah 4, #18 Rochester 1
Molly Broccolo got the game-one start for the Yellowjackets, and after a 1-2-3 top of the first, UR struck first in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Bailey Nicholoff launched a solo shot to left-center, giving Rochester its first home run of the year and an early 1-0 lead.
 
UR's early lead would hold up till the third when the Falcons got to Broccolo and took the lead. Brielle Rosario got the Falcons started with a one-out single up the middle, before Paige Eakes brought her home with an RBI double, tying the score at 1-1. Eakes, after advancing to third on the throw home, then came around to score on Alexa Burger's RBI groundout, giving Messiah a 2-1 lead.
 
While the Yellowjackets were held to just one hit through the first three frames, Messiah again threatened in the top of the fourth, loading the bases on an error, single and a hit-by-pitch. But Broccolo got Rosario to line out right back up the middle to end the threat, keeping the Falcons' lead at just one.
 
However, Rochester would go in order in each of the next two frames, while the Falcons tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Messiah again loaded the bases against Broccolo, bringing a pair home on Rebekah Wiley's RBI single and a wild pitch to extend their lead to 4-1.
 
And while Riley Laygo picked up a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, Maggie Chinnadurai got a flyout, groundout and strikeout to end the threat and give the Falcons a 4-1 victory.
 
Chinnadurai (1-0) earned the win for Messiah, allowing just one hit over four innings pitched, while Brococlo (0-1) took the loss for UR, allowing four runs on seven hits over 7.0 innings pitched. Lydia Collison got the start for the Falcons, allowing one run on one hit over 3.0 innings pitched.
 
Laygo and Nicholoff tallied UR's two hits on the afternoon, with Nicholoff going 1-for-1 with two walks and a home run to lead the 'Jackets at the plate.
 
GAME TWO: #18 Rochester 9, Messiah 0 (5 INN)
After drawing a pair of walks in game one, Nicholoff started game two right where she left off, drawing a four-pitch walk to open the top of the first. Nicholoff quickly stole second, and then came around to score on Laygo's RBI single, once again giving the Yellowjackets an early lead.
 
UR looked to tack on more in the inning, as Hannah Keiper followed with a hit-by-pitch and a batter later, Jensen Sminchak reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, putting runners at second and third, but Kelli Durbin worked out of the jam, getting Julianna Lyons to groundout to end the inning down 1-0.
 
Lauren Keys made quick work of the Falcons in the bottom of the frame, pitching a 1-2-3 first, and then worked around a one-out walk for Allie Book in the bottom of the second before Rochester got back on the scoreboard.
 
Laygo led off the third with a leadoff walk, and Keiper followed with a double, putting two on with nobody out. Jenna Gorecki then drew a hit-by-pitch to load the bases for Sminchak, whose RBI single got the 'Jackets rally started, scoring Laygo to make it a 2-0 Rochester lead.
 
Messiah made a call to the bullpen, bringing in Chinnadurai to replace Durbin, but Yellowjackets kept the runs coming, putting up a crooked number in the frame to take a 9-0 lead. Lyons laced the second pitch the first-year saw up the middle for an RBI single before Castilloux grounded into a fielder's choice.
 
Molly Mason made it 4-0 with an RBI single of her own, and Savannah Nowak worked a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 5-0, while Nicholoff flew out to left scoring Castilloux to turn the order over and once again bring up Laygo with the 'Jackets up 6-0.
 
And after Laygo saw a first-pitch strike, the first-year launched a three-run home run, the first of her career, scoring both Nowak and Mason to cap off the eight-run frame and give UR a 9-0 advantage.
 
The Falcons looked to respond in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases on Rosario's leadoff double and back-to-back walks from Eakes and Burger, but Keys got Hannah Dyer to pop into an infield fly, struck out Elianna Litwin and induced an inning-ending flyout from Kandice Schlabach to strand the bases loaded and keep Messiah off the scoreboard.
 
Messiah would again threaten in the bottom of the fourth, but again, Keys worked around a pair of base runners, stranding two, and from there, the Yellowjackets cruised to victory, with Maddie White finishing off the run-rule victory with a scoreless frame.
 
Keys (1-0) picked up the win, scattering three hits and striking out one over 4.0 innings pitched, while White allowed just one hit in a scoreless fifth. Durbin (0-1) took the loss for Messiah, allowing five runs on four hits over 2.0 innings pitched.
 
Laygo capped a stellar debut with a 2-for-3 performance, drawing a walk, hitting a home run, scoring two and driving in four. Castilloux also tallied two hits, going 2-for-3 with a double, while Keiper went 1-for-2 with a double and run scored.
 
Eight different Yellowjackets scored a run in the victory, while six drove in at least one.
 
Rochester will wrap up its weekend on the Eastern Shore with a doubleheader against No. 2 Salisbury on Sunday, Feb. 25, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.