University of Rochester softball got a busy week off to a hot start, sweeping a doubleheader against the Fredonia State Blue Devils on Tuesday afternoon at Southside Field. The Yellowjackets run-ruled the Blue Devils in both contests, taking game one, 10-2, in a run-rule-shortened five-innings, and game two, 8-0, in six innings.
 
With the two wins, Rochester moves to 14-6 on the season, while the Blue Devils drop to 5-11 on the year.
 
GAME ONE: Rochester 10, Fredonia 2 (5 inn.)
Lauren Keys toed the rubber for the Yellowjackets in game one, and while UR erased a leadoff talk with a double play on Allie Wandell's sacrifice bunt, the Blue Devils put together a two-out rally to take an early lead. Three-straight doubles by Alyssa Santiago, Jordan Kanick and Megan Guidry got Fredonia on the scoreboard, giving the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead before Keys struck out Avery Hill to end the inning.
 
And while Vanessa Galbraith set UR down in order in the bottom of the first, after Keys settled down and struck out the side in the second, the Yellowjackets would answer back to take the lead.
 
Jenna Gorecki led off the top of the second with a single and advanced to second on a fielding error. Keys then doubled to center to put runners at second and third for Loren Castilloux, who brought home the 'Jackets' first run of the game with a groundout to second. Julianna Lyons followed with an RBI single to score Keys and level the score at two-all, and a batter later, Molly Mason gave UR the lead with an RBI double to right center.
 
With the lead in hand, Keys worked around a leadoff walk to keep Fredonia off the scoreboard for the second-straight inning, and with one swing of the bat, Riley Laygo added to Rochester's lead in the bottom of the third.
 
Laygo led off the frame, hitting Galbraith's first pitch way out of Southside Field, blasting a solo home run to left-center to make it a 4-2 Rochester advantage.
 
Then after another 1-2-3 inning from Keys, the 'Jackets broke through with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking advantage of a pair of Fredonia fielding errors. Castilloux led off the frame with a single, forcing the Blue Devils to make a pitching change, but UR kept on hitting, with Jensen Sminchak's double putting runners at second and third with just one out.
 
A throwing error allowed Mason to reach to load the bases for the top of the order, and Bailey Nicholoff doubled off the first pitch from Mack Celauro she saw, scoring a pair to make it a 6-2 lead. Laygo drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to center, and after Hannah Keiper took a hit-by-pitch to put two more runners on, the 'Jackets took advantage of a dropped fly ball to score two more and extend their lead to 9-2.
 
Laygo relieved Keys to start the fifth and pitched a scoreless inning, working around a one-out single, bringing Rochester to the plate with a chance to finish off the run-rule victory with another run.
 
Castilloux and Sminchak got the inning started with back-to-back singles, and though Jordan Kanick got Marie Kinchington to ground into a double play, Mason beat out a squeeze bunt to score Castilloux and give UR the 10-2, five-inning, run-rule shortened victory.
 
Keys (7-1) earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out seven over 4.0 innings pitched, while Galbraith (2-4) took the loss for Fredonia, allowing five runs on six hits over 3.0 innings pitched.
 
At the plate, Rochester tallied 10 runs on 11 hits, including four doubles and a home run. Castilloux, Lyons and Mason each tallied two hits, while Laygo, Mason and Nicholoff each drove in a pair.
 
Castilloux went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, Laygo went 1-for-2 with a home run, run scored and two RBI, Lyons went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, Mason went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and two RBI, and Nicholoff went 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and two RBI.
 
GAME TWO: Rochester 8, Fredonia 0 (6 inn.)
Maddie White got the start in game two for the Yellowjackets and quickly got into a grove, striking out a pair in the first inning as the sophomore retired the first 16 batters she faced.
 
Rochester also went in order in the bottom of the first, but after White picked up another strikeout and a 1-2-3 frame in the second, the 'Jackets got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame.
 
With a runner at third and two outs following Keiper's walk and Mason's single, Hunter Gilbreath smoked an RBI single to right-center, scoring Keiper to give UR a 1-0 lead. Lyons then kept things rolling with an RBI double to right, scoring Gilbreath to make it 2-0, before Savannah Nowak got in on the action, knocking in Lyons with an RBI single to give Rochester a 3-0 lead.
 
White kept on cruising with another strikeout in the third and two more in the fourth before the 'Jackets got back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame.
 
Mason led off the inning with a walk and stole second, and once again, Lyons doubled to right-center to bring another runner home, this time Mason, giving Rochester a 4-0 lead. Fredonia then made a pitching change, bringing on Emily Chelius to relieve Madison Lowe, and while Chelius got out of the inning without any more damage, the Yellowjackets would tack on two more in the bottom of the fifth.
 
First though, White added two more strikeouts to her tally, two of a career-high 10 for the sophomore in the complete-game effort.
 
Laygo quickly made it a 5-0 lead to start the bottom of the fifth, leading off the frame with another solo shot, and after a pair of walks and an infield single loaded the bases, Kinchington beat out an infield single to score another run, extending UR's lead to 6-0.
 
In the top of the sixth, Courtney Peregosky broke up White's bid for perfection with a one-out single up the middle, but White struck out the next batter and then got Madison Devore to pop out to end the top of the sixth and send UR back to the plate.
 
And this time, with a chance to finish things off, the Yellowjackets would do exactly that. Rochester loaded the bases on a single, walk and error, bringing Keiper to the plate with a chance to walk things off.
 
A wild pitch brought Castilloux home and made it a 7-0 ballgame, before Keiper stroked a single to center, scoring Sminchak to finish off the 8-0, run-rule-shortened victory.
 
White (2-2) earned the win, allowing just one hit over 6.0 innings pitched, striking out a career-high 10 batters. White's 10 Ks are the most since Emily Sharlach struck out 11 at Union on April 3, 2021.
 
For the Blue Devils, Lowe (0-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits, walking two and striking out one.
 
Four Yellowjackets turned in multi-hit performances in game two, with Lyons leading the way, going 2-for-2 with two doubles, a walk, a run scored and two RBI. Laygo went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, run scored and an RBI, while Keiper went 1-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI.
 
Mason and Nowak also tallied two hits apiece, with Mason adding a run scored and Nowak knocking in one.
 
The Yellowjackets next host the Clarkson University Golden Knights in their conference home opener on Friday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. at Southside Field.