University of Rochester softball got its home slate started with a pair of shutouts against St. John Fisher in a doubleheader that was originally supposed to be played in Pittsford, NY, but was moved to UR due to unplayable field conditions at Fisher. The Yellowjackets took game one, 3-0, before defeating the Cardinals, 12-0 in a run-rule-shortened five innings on Tuesday afternoon at Southside Field.
 
With the two wins, Rochester moves to 9-5 on the season, while Fisher drops to 7-3.
 
GAME ONE: Rochester 3, St. John Fisher 0
Both starters, Molly Broccolo for UR and Ainsley Evanetski for St. John Fisher, worked around a few baserunners over the first three frames, keeping things scoreless. Evanetski walked Bailey Nicholoff to leadoff the top of the first, but the Cardinals caught Nicholoff stealing to end the frame.
 
In the bottom of the first, Broccolo walked two Cardinals but got Mari Spitz to ground into a fielder's choice to stand a pair. Both starters would then set down their opponents in order in the second and the third before the Yellowjackets pushed two runs across in the top of the fourth.
 
Riley Laygo picked up the Yellowjackets' first hit with a one-out double off the left-field fence, and a batter later, Hannah Keiper reached on an infield single, putting runners at the corners with two down. After battling through six pitches, Jenna Gorecki laced a two-run double to right center, scoring Laygo and Keiper to give UR a 2-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals looked to respond in the bottom of the frame, with a pair of one-out singles putting runners at first and second. But a fielder's choice to Laygo in right put the second out on the board, and Broccolo then worked out of the inning with a groundout to short.
 
Both squads picked up a hit but left runners on base again in the fifth, with Broccolo again stranding a pair with two groundouts, before Rochester tacked on another run in the top of the sixth.
 
On Evanetski's 1-0 pitch, Laygo led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run off the scoreboard in right, extending UR's lead to 3-0.
 
That would be all Broccolo needed, as the sophomore retired the side in both the sixth and seventh to finish off the 3-0 victory, her fourth of the year.
 
In the circle, Broccolo (4-2) earned the win, allowing just three hits, striking out, and walking three over 7.0 innings pitched, while Evanetski (3-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits over 7.0 innings pitched.
 
Laygo went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, two runs scored and an RBI to lead UR at the plate, while Gorecki went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
 
GAME TWO: Rochester 12, St. John Fisher 0 (5 inn.)
UR quickly got things going at the plate in game two, plating six runs in the top of the first and chasing St. John Fisher starter Cassidy Ormond just six batters into the game. Nicholoff led off the game with a double and came around to score on Laygo's RBI single, giving UR an early 1-0 lead.
 
Laygo then took second on a wild pitch before Keiper brought the first-year home with another RBI single, giving the Yellowjackets a 2-0 lead. Another wild pitch moved Keiper to second, and Gorecki's walk and Loren Castilloux's bunt single then loaded the bases for Molly Mason, whose three-run double cleared the bases and forced Fisher to make an early pitching change with nobody out, down 5-0.
 
CC Holmes relieved Ormond, but the 'Jackets would add another before Holmes could get out of the inning, moving to third on Julianna Lyons' groundout and scoring on Hunter Gilbreath's grounder to short to make it a 6-0 UR advantage.
 
With a 6-0 lead in hand, Lauren Keys worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame, retiring the next three Cardinals all via a flyout to send UR to the plate in the top of the second.
 
In the top of the second, the Yellowjackets would add another run on Keiper's sacrifice fly, scoring Nicholoff from third after another leadoff double, one of three doubles on the afternoon for the junior.
 
And while Fisher tallied its first hit of the contest on Spitz's leadoff single, Keys again worked around a leadoff baserunner, retiring the next three Cardinals to keep UR in front, 7-0.
 
Both the Yellowjackets and Cardinals settled down over the third and fourth innings, with Keys striking out a pair in the bottom of the fourth, before Rochester got back on the scoreboard in the fifth.
 
Another leadoff double, this time off the bat of Laygo, got the inning started, and Keiper followed with a flyout to deep center, moving Laygo to third. Gorecki then beat out an infield single to short to score Laygo and make it 8-0, and after Castilloux reached on a fielding error, Mason smashed another double, scoring Gorecki to make it 9-0.
 
Lyons kept things rolling with a two-run single through the left side to make it 11-0, and after St. John Fisher made another pitching change, UR would add one more on Nicholoff's third double of the afternoon, scoring Lyons from third to make it 12-0.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Maddie White relieved Keys and struck out a pair to finish off the run-rule victory and doubleheader sweep for UR.
 
Keys (4-1) earned the win, allowing just two hits, walking one and striking out three over 4.0 innings pitched. Ormond (4-1) took the loss for Fisher, allowing six runs on five hits and walking one.
 
Three 'Jackets turned in multi-hit days, led by Nicholoff, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Laygo went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI, and Mason went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBI.
 
Five Yellowjackets also scored two runs apiece, with Gorecki and Castilloux each scoring a pair, in addition to Laygo, Mason and Nicholoff.
 
Rochester next hosts SUNY Brockport on Saturday, March 30 in a non-conference doubleheader at Southside Field beginning at 3:00 p.m.