SALISBURY, MD – 16th-ranked University of Rochester softball fell to the 13th-ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls, 6-4, and the Swarthmore College Garnet, 9-2, to open the 2025 season on Saturday at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium.
 
With the two losses, the Yellowjackets fall to 0-2 on the season but will have a chance to bounce back on Sunday when they face the Garnet and Sea Gulls again beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the Eastern Shore.
 
GAME ONE: #13 Salisbury 6, #16 Rochester 4.
Molly Broccolo twice worked out of jams in each of the first and second innings, working around runners at second and third with just one out in each frame, but the Sea Gulls would break through in the bottom of the third.
 
Singles by Ellen Stockman and Madison Lepeonka put two one with just one out, and while Broccolo got Sam Flowers to ground out to first for the second out of the inning, Emily Stockman worked the count full and took Broccolo's 3-2 pitch out to deep left to give Salisbury a 3-0 lead.
 
An error then kept the inning alive and Salisbury would tack on another run on Karlie Wolf's RBI double to left, before UR made a pitching change, bringing in Lauren Keys in relief of Broccolo.
 
Emily Challender, however, socked Keys' 0-1 pitch for a two-run double, extending the Sea Gulls' lead to six before the Yellowjackets got out of the inning with a strikeout of Ellen Stockman.
 
After going in order over the first three frames, Rochester got its offense going and answered back in the top of the fourth. Savannah Nowak picked up UR's first hit of the 2025 campaign with a single to left, and Riley Laygo followed with a single to center to put two on and nobody out.
 
A strikeout put one out on the board, but three more singles loaded the bases and brought home a pair to make it a 6-2 ballgame. Rowan Mulholland's single loaded the bases for Bailey Nicholoff, who cut into Salisbury's lead with an RBI single to left, scoring Nowak.
 
Julianna Lyons then brought another run home with yet another single to make it a four-run game, before a batter later, Marie Kinchington slapped a two-run single to left, scoring both Mulholland and Nicholoff to make it a two-run game. However, Maithili Shah, who pinch-ran for Lyons, was tagged out making the turn at second base, and the Sea Gulls escaped without any more damage.
 
Keys then quieted down the Salisbury bats with a 1-2-3 fourth, striking out a pair, but Adolfson stranded Laygo at second after a two-out double with an unassisted groundout to first.
 
After another 1-2-3 frame for Keys, UR again left a runner on in the top of the sixth, unable to further cut into Salisbury's lead after a leadoff single by Mulholland.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Keys worked around a pair of base runners to keep it just a two-run ballgame, but Adolfson shut the door in the top of the seventh, getting Laygo to groundout after yielding a two-out walk to finish off the 6-4 victory.
 
Broccolo (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs, three earned, on seven hits over 2.2 innings pitched, while Adolfson (1-0) earned the win, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out four in a complete-game effort. Keys pitched a scoreless 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four.
 
Laygo and Mulholland each led UR with two hits at the plate, while Kinchington went 1-for-1 with two RBI.
 
GAME TWO: Swarthmore 9, #16 Rochester 2
After Jenna Gorecki was left stranded at third following a two-out double in the top of the first, the Garnet struck first in the bottom of the frame. Iris Barone led off the inning with a double, took second on Regan Valenzuela's groundout and scored on Olivia McClammy's RBI groundout to give Swarthmore a 1-0 lead.
 
Barone and the Garnet then made it 2-0 in the next frame, chasing Broccolo after just 1.1 innings after Swarthmore loaded the bases with a pair of walks and Elisabeth O'Connor's infield single. Keys again relieved Broccolo and gave up a sacrifice fly to Barone to make it a 2-0 lead, but then got Serafina Tinio, pinch-hitting for Valenzuela to fly out to left to keep it at just a two-run game.
 
Swarthmore would threaten again in the bottom of the third, with a single and an error to put two on with two outs, but Keys got Rae Barron to foul out to end the threat, and send UR back to the plate.
 
Lane Barron, who got the start for the Garnet, retired the first two Yellowjacket batters in the top of the fourth, before Mulholland stroked a two-out double, UR's third in four innings. Lyons followed with a single to center, but Mulholland was thrown out trying to score from second, keeping Rochester off the board.
 
Keys and Maddie White would combine to strand another base runner in the bottom of the fourth after Barone's two-out triple before the 'Jackets would break through to tie the score in the fifth.
 
Jensen Sminchak drew a one-out walk and stole second, and with two outs, Nowak and Laygo hit back-to-back RBI singles to level the score at 2-2.
 
The Yellowjackets then returned the favor in the bottom of the fifth, getting Emily Bertrand out at home trying to score from second on an error to keep Swarthmore from retaking the lead. But after UR went in order in the top of the sixth, the Garnet broke through with seven runs in seven hits in the bottom of the frame.
 
Barone's RBI single broke the 2-2 tie with two on and just one out, while five-straight Garnet batters brought home runs to make it a 9-2 Swarthmore lead. Avery McClure's two-run double made it an 8-2 game, while Kate Borza's RBI single capped off the seven-run frame and the Yellowjackets weren't able to answer back in the top of the seventh, as Swarthmore pulled out the 9-2 victory.
 
White (0-1) took the loss for UR, allowing seven runs on eight hits over 2.1 innings pitched, while Barron allowed two runs on seven hits over 7.0 innings pitched to earn the win.
 
Keys again pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and striking out one.
 
Seven different Yellowjackets each tallied hits, led by Nowak, who went 1-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.