LEESBURG, FL – University of Rochester softball got its spring trip off to a hot start with a pair of wins over Wisconsin Lutheran College and Kean University on Sunday afternoon at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex as part of The Spring Games. The Yellowjackets defeated the Warriors in a run-rule-shortened five innings, 11-0, before finishing the sweep with a 3-2 win over the Cougars.
 
With the two wins, Rochester moved back to .500 at 3-3 on the year, while Wisconsin Lutheran dropped to 0-3, and Kean fell to 5-2.
 
GAME ONE: Rochester 11, Wisconsin Lutheran 0 (5 innings)
Rochester quickly pounced on the Warriors and starter Melissa Tonn, striking first with two runs in the top of the first, before putting up a crooked number in the top of the third.
 
Bailey Nicholoff led off the first with a double to left, and Riley Laygo followed with a single, putting runners at first and third with nobody out. Hannah Keiper drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases for Jenna Gorecki, who got the 'Jackets on the scoreboard first with a sacrifice fly to left.
 
Julianna Lyons added another sacrifice fly to make it 2-0, but Tonn got a fielder's choice to prevent any further damage and send the Warriors to the plate down two.
 
In the circle for UR though, Maddie White retired the first six batters she faced, facing the minimum through the first four innings of play. White struck out one in the first and two in the second, while the Yellowjackets broke things open in the third.
 
Laygo, Keiper and Gorecki opened the inning with three-straight hits, singles by Laygo and Keiper to put runners at the corners before Gorecki scored the inning's first run with an RBI double to left center. Lyons followed with a groundout to make it 4-0 before four-straight RBI singles from Molly Mason, Loren Castilloux, Savannah Nowak and Jensen Sminchak extended UR's lead to 7-0 and chased the Warriors' starter.
 
Kacey Mietsner came on in relief of Tonn, but the Yellowjackets would plate three more in the inning. Laygo's two-run double scored both Sminchak and Nowak to make it a 9-0 lead, before Keiper added her second hit in the frame, an RBI single to left-center, to score Laygo, extending the lead to 10-0.
 
In total, Rochester scored eight runs on 10 hits in the top of the third, turning a 2-0 lead into a 10-0 advantage.
 
The Yellowjackets would add another on Sminchak's RBI double in the top of the fourth, before White worked around a pair of hits in the bottom of the fifth, getting a 6-4-3 double play to erase a leadoff base runner before Maddy Chestolowski groundout out to end the game and give UR the run-rule-shortened victory.
 
White (1-0) earned the win, allowing just two hits over 5.0 innings pitched, striking out three, while Tonn (0-2) took the loss for the Warriors, allowing nine runs on 10 hits over 2.1 innings pitched.
 
Laygo led the 'Jackets with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a double, two stolen bases, three runs scored and two RBI, while four other Yellowjackets tallied 2+ hits, and three others notched 2+ RBI. Gorecki and Sminchak each went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI, while Nicholoff went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored and Keiper went 2-for-3 with a walk and RBI.
 
GAME TWO: Rochester 3, Kean 2
Molly Broccolo worked a 1-2-3 top of the first inning against the Cougars, bringing Rochester to the plate where they again struck first to take an early lead. Nicholoff singled to left, took second on an error, and third on Keiper's groundout, before Lyons dropped a bloop circle into center, scoring the junior to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.
 
Then in the bottom of the second, Rochester would add two more. Hunter Gilbreath led off the inning with a single to center, and after Nowak drew an eight-pitch walk, Sminchak laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third.
 
And while Kean starter Nikki Lusnia struck out the next batter, the next batter, Laygo, smashed a two-run double to right-center, scoring a pair to make it a 3-0 Rochester lead.
 
The Cougars then threatened to answer in the top of the third, taking advantage of a pair of UR errors to put a runner at third, but Broccolo again induced an inning-ending groundout to keep the 3-0 lead.
 
However, after Lusnia stranded a pair in the bottom of the frame, Kean broke through with just two swings of the bat in the top of the fourth. Eliza Filus picked up the Cougars' first hit of the afternoon against Broccolo, lacing a double down the left-field line, and though Broccolo quickly put two outs on the scoreboard with a fly out and line out, Bella Truelove blasted a 2-1 pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run shot, cutting Rochester's lead to just one.
 
And despite UR going in order in the bottom of the frame, Broccolo settled back down and worked a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, setting the Cougars down in order with a pair of groundouts, before using a fly out, pop out and groundout to finish off a 1-2-3 sixth.
 
With Truelove in the on-deck circle to start the seventh though, Kean looked to rally and started things off with Thompson's single to right. However, Broccolo got Truelove to ground into a 3-6-4 double play, killing the Cougars' rally, before finishing off the inning and contest with a fly out to left, giving Rochester a 3-2 victory.
 
Broccolo (1-2) earned her first win of the year, allowing two runs on three hits, and striking out two over a compete-game effort. Lusnia (2-2) also pitched every inning for the Cougars, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out three.
 
At the plate, Gilbreath went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while a pair of first-years: Laygo and Lyons, drove in all three of Rochester's runs.
 
The Yellowjackets will look to keep things rolling in Florida when they square off with Hamline University and Gettysburg College on Monday, March 11 at Hancock Park in Clermont, FL beginning at 9:15 a.m.