CLINTON, NY – The University of Rochester softball swept a midweek, non-conference doubleheader against the Hamilton College Continentals on Wednesday at the Loop Road Athletic Complex. The 'Jackets shut out the Continentals in game one, 7-0, and then run-ruled Hamilton in six innings in game two, 14-6, to wrap up the doubleheader sweep, their fourth over their last five doubleheaders.
 
With the two wins, Rochester moves to 22-10 on the year, while the Continentals drop to 15-13. UR next heads to Schenectady, NY to wrap up conference play with a doubleheader at Union College on Saturday, May 2, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
 
Game 1: Rochester 7, Hamilton 0
After leaving a pair on in the top of the second, the Yellowjackets would break through and push a pair of runs across in the top of the third. Back-to-back walks drawn by Bailey Nicholoff and Riley Laygo put two on with just one out for Julianna Lyons, who roped an RBI single down the right-field line to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead.

Rowan Mulholland then drew another walk to load the bases for Lauren Keys, and while the senior brought another run home with a sacrifice fly, the Continentals turned two on the flyout, catching Lyons off second base to keep UR's lead at just 2-0.
 
And while Rochester would add another run in the fifth and four more in the seventh, those two runs would be all Molly Broccolo needed in the circle. The junior struck out a pair and worked around an error in the bottom of the first inning, and got Hadley Rogers to hit into a double play after a one-out single in the bottom of the second, before retiring seven-straight batters over the next two-plus frames.
 
Broccolo set the Continentals down in order in both the third and fourth innings, and then worked around two baserunners in the bottom of the fifth, holding Hamilton to just two hits over her 6.0 innings pitched.
 
The 'Jackets added another run on another Lyons' RBI single in the top of the fifth, before UR chased Yael Everett with a four-spot in the top of the seventh. Back-to-back singles by Savannah Nowak and Nicholoff to lead off the inning forced the Continentals to make a pitching change, but Rochester kept on rolling. Laygo welcomed Aubrey Purvis to the circle with an RBI double to left center, while Lyons added two more RBI to her tally with a two-run single through the left side to make it 6-0 UR.
 
After Mulholland walked and Keys lined out, Ilana Weiss pinch-hit for Molly Mason and drew another walk to load the bases, and a batter later, Katelyn Wade made it a 7-0 ballgame with an RBI single to center, scoring Lyons from third.
 
Maddie White then relieved Broccolo to start the seventh and pitched a perfect frame to finish off the 7-0, shutout victory.
 
Broccolo (13-4) earned the win, allowing just two hits and walking one while striking out eight, one shy of her career high, over 6.0 innings pitched. For Hamilton, Everett (3-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out three over 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Lyons turned in a tremendous day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI, while Laygo went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, three runs scored and an RBI.
 
Game 2: Rochester 14, Hamilton 6
Rochester would again strike first in the top of the first inning on Mulholland's RBI groundout against Teagan Graham, but the Continentals would answer back and take the lead in the bottom of the frame.
 
White got the start for Rochester in game two after working a scoreless frame to close out game one, but the Continentals scored two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first to take their first lead of the doubleheader.
 
Three-straight Hamilton batters reached on back-to-back singles as well as a fielder's choice, before Alexis Mayer's RBI double evened the score at 1-1. Gaby Guerra then gave Hamilton the lead with a sacrifice fly to right, putting the Continentals up 2-1 before White got a popup to send UR to the plate.
 
Rochester answered right back with a four-run second, taking the lead on Nicholoff's two-run double, following Jensen Sminchak's one-out single and Weiss' hit-by-pitch. While after the Continentals intentionally walked Laygo and got Lyons to hit into a fielder's choice, Mulholland smashed a single up the middle to score a pair and make it a 5-2 ballgame.
 
Once again, though, Hamilton would look to respond in the bottom of the second and push a run across on Emma Tansky's two-out RBI single. And while White looked to get out of the inning with UR's lead still intact, a fielding error allowed two more runs to score on Miranda Mosqueda's flyball to right, leveling the score at 5-5.
 
UR quickly retook the lead in the top of the third, though, this time for good. Nowak drew a walk to lead off the inning and came around to score on an errant throw on Sminchak's bunt single to give the 'Jackets a 6-5 lead. Weiss then moved Sminchak up to third with a sacrifice bunt, and after Maithili Shah legged out an infield single, a throwing error on an attempted double steal brought Sminchak home to make it a 7-5 lead. While Nicholoff's RBI single brought Shah home to extend Rochester's advantage to 8-5.
 
Lauren Keys relieved White in the bottom of the third and settled things down in the circle, stranding the bases loaded to keep Rochester up by three.
 
Sminchak's RBI single and an interference call then made it 10-5 as two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth, while the Yellowjackets would put things out of reach with another three runs in the top of the fifth.
 
The 'Jackets loaded the bases to start the frame on a pair of singles and a walk before another walk, this one drawn by Mulholland, brought Nicholoff into score to make it 11-5. After a Hamilton pitching change, Keys knocked in another run with a groundout to first, while Sminchak made it 13-5 a batter later with another infield single.
 
With Rochester leading by eight, Hamilton would push a run across in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game on Charlie Quinn's sacrifice fly, but UR would come right back and again make it an eight-run lead, before finishing things off in the bottom of the frame.
 
Lyons knocked in her fifth run of the day with an RBI single through the left side to give Rochester a 14-6 advantage, while Keys worked around a pair of two-out baserunners to close out the sixth, giving the Yellowjackets a 14-6, run-rule-shortened victory.
 
Keys (3-2) picked up the win, allowing one run on seven hits, striking out two over 4.0 innings pitched. White allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits, over 2.0 innings pitched, taking a no-decision in her start.
 
For Hamilton, Teagan Graham (2-3) allowed eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits and walked four over 3.0 innings pitched to take the loss.
 
Five Yellowjackets turned in multi-hit performances in game two, led by Sminchak, who went 4-for-4 with a triple, three runs scored and two RBI. Nicholoff went 3-for-4 with a double, walk, three runs scored and three RBI, while Lyons, Mullholland and Shah each had two hits as well.
 
Rochester is back on the road on Saturday, May 3, when they wrap up their conference slate with a matchup against Union College in Schenectady, NY. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.