The University of Rochester softball dropped a pair of contests on Friday to wrap up their time at the 2025 Liberty League Softball Championship, dropping a winner's bracket contest against 24th-ranked Ithaca College, 3-1, before falling in an elimination contest against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 5-3, at Southside Field.
 
With the two losses, the Yellowjackets fall to 24-13 on the year, and bow out of the Liberty League Tournament, snapping their streak of four-straight Liberty League Titles. Rochester will now await its fate to see if it'll earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, while Ithaca and RPI will face off in Saturday's Liberty League Softball Championship Game, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
 
GAME ONE: #24 Ithaca 3, Rochester 1
Though the Bombers would stretch out a run in the top of the first, the 'Jackets answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Cate Murray picked up Ithaca's first hit with a one-out single to right, and after Elise Waddington and Murray were both safe on a fielder's choice, Murray came around to score on Kailen Winkelblech's grounder to second, giving Ithaca a 1-0 lead.
 
Winkelblech reached on an error, one of four defensive miscues for the Yellowjackets in the contest, while a walk one batter later loaded the bases for the Bombers. However, Molly Broccolo escaped the inning without any more damage, getting Ava Rao to ground into a fielder's choice to keep Ithaca's lead at just one.
 
Then in the bottom of the first, Bailey Nicholoff blasted Anna Cornell's 1-0 pitch just inside the foul pole down the left-field line for a leadoff home run, quickly tying the score at one run apiece.
 
Rochester put two more baserunners on against Cornell in the bottom of the first, but the Bombers' senior starter stranded a pair, the first of nine baserunners the 'Jackets would leave on base in their winner's bracket matchup against Ithaca.
 
After the top of the first, both Broccolo and Cornell settled down, pitching scoreless frames in each of the next three innings.
 
The Yellowjackets kept Ithaca off the scoreboard in the top of the third after a pair of errors, catching Murray off third on a pickoff attempt, while Cornell did the same in the bottom of the frame, stranding Riley Laygo after a leadoff double.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Bombers broke through on Winkelblech's two-out, RBI single, taking a 2-1 lead with three hits in the inning. And while the Yellowjackets put the first two runners on in the bottom of the frame, Cornell struck out Laygo and got the next two 'Jackets on an infield fly and a grounder to third to keep the Bombers up by a run.
 
The Bombers then took advantage of another Yellowjacket error in the top of the sixth, forcing UR to bring in Maddie White in relief of Broccolo with runners on second and third and nobody out. Belle de Oliviera welcomed White to the contest with an RBI single to center, but White worked out of the inning without allowing another run, stranding the bases loaded with a strikeout of Murray and a flyout to right.
 
Trailing 3-1, Rochester left another baserunner on the sixth, and after White kept Ithaca off the scoreboard in the seventh, UR came back to the plate in need of two runs to avoid defeat.
 
And while Cornell yielded back-to-back walks to Savannah Nowak and Nicholoff to bring the game-winning run to the plate, the senior again struck out Laygo, and then got a pop out and lineout to send Ithaca to Saturday's Liberty League Championship game with a 3-1 victory.
 
Broccolo (14-6) took the loss for UR, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and three walks over 5.0 innings pitched, while White struck out two and allowed two hits in 2.0 innings out of the bullpen.
 
Cornell (14-3) earned the win for Ithaca, allowing one run on four hits, walking six and striking out nine in a complete-game effort.
 
Nicholoff led UR at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, run scored and an RBI.
 
GAME TWO: RPI 5, Rochester 3
Broccolo again got the start in the Yellowjackets' second game of the day, and once again, their opponent would strike first in the top of the first. After Callista Adorno drew a hit-by-pitch down 0-2, Addison Shaffer smacked a double to right center to bring home the game's first run, and give RPI a 1-0 advantage.
 
And while UR looked to respond in the bottom of the frame, the 'Jackets would leave another runner in scoring position, this time against Ava Markert, as RPI's starter got a strikeout and groundout to leave Laygo at second after a one-out single.
 
Rochester would tie the game in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of two Engineer errors in the inning. Katelyn Wade legged out an infield single to second and took second on a throwing error. Then a batter later, after Jensen Sminchak reached on an error, Wade came all the way around to score to tie the game at one.
 
However, RPI would answer right back in the top of the third. With two outs and runners at first and second, Sarah Decker poked a single up the middle, scoring Adorno to give RPI a 2-1 lead.
 
This time, however, when the Yellowjackets answered back in the bottom of the third, they would take the lead. Back-to-back errors put runners on first and third, and then second and third after Madi Paige stole second. And while Markert struck out the next batter looking, Jenna Gorecki came through with a two-run double to right center, giving UR its first lead, 3-2, after three.
 
In the top of the fourth though, RPI would come up with another clutch, two-out hit, this one off the bat of Sydney Speanburg, as the left-fielder leveled the score at 3-3 with a two-out, RBI double.
 
Both Markert, and White, who relieved Broccolo to start the fifth, would settle things down over the next two frames, with White pitching a pair of 1-2-3 frames, while Markert stranded base runners in both the fifth and sixth innings.
 
In the fifth, Markert stranded Laygo at third after a one-out double, while in the sixth, UR left Molly Mason at first after a two-out single, as the 'Jackets struggled to find a clutch hit in both of their Friday contests.
 
In the top of the seventh, White looked to put up another zero on the scoreboard, but with runners at second and third and two outs, Shaffer fouled off six pitches before doubling to right to score a pair and give RPI a 5-3 lead.
 
And while UR would again bring the game-winning run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, as they did against Ithaca, Markert got a grounder right back to the pitcher to seal the win and clinch RPI's spot in Saturday's final.
 
White (7-5) took the loss for UR, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out two over 2.2 innings pitched. Broccolo in her start allowed three runs on seven hits, striking out one over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Markert (14-5) earned the win for RPI, allowing three runs, all unearned, on six hits, walking one and striking out three over 7.0 innings pitched.
 
Laygo had three of UR's six hits, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored, two lead Rochester at the plate, while Gorecki went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI.