NEWPORT/VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – University of Rochester softball split a pair of run-rule-shortened contests on the second day of the Cross Bay Bash, falling to the 17th-ranked Christopher Newport University Captains, 11-2, in a run-rule-shortened five innings at Captains Park, before run-ruling the Susquehanna University River Hawks, 22-0, in five innings at Broyles Field to wrap up the day.
 
With the split, Rochester moves to 4-2 on the year, while No. 17 Christopher Newport now sits at 8-4, and Susquehanna falls to 4-8.
 
GAME ONE: No. 17 Christopher Newport 11, Rochester 2 (5 inn.)
Though the 'Jackets scored first in the top of the first, the Captains would quickly respond in the bottom of the frame. Ally Kim drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, took third on Riley Laygo's groundout and scored on Rowan Mulholland's groundout to give URochester a 1-0 lead.
 
However, #17 Christopher Newport quickly answered back and took the lead in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a pair of Yellowjacket errors to score runs on a groundout and a steal of home to take a 2-1 lead.
 
While the Yellowjackets looked to respond in the second, loading the bases on Katelyn Wade's double, Chloe Fitzgerald's walk and Savanna Hernandez's infield single, Haylee Callahan stranded the bases loaded, and the Captains would add to their lead in the bottom of the frame.
 
Candace Slaw's RBI single made it a 3-1 ballgame, while Cora Thomas brought another run home for the Captains with a groundout to short, extending CNU's advantage to 4-1.
 
And after Callahan worked a 1-2-3 top of the third, the Captains put up five runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by Olivia Miller's bases-clearing double to take a 9-1 lead. Maddie White relieved Molly Broccolo to start the frame, but Christopher Newport took advantage of another error to more than double their lead.
 
The Captains then tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth, extending their lead to 11-1 on Simone Thompson's two-run single, before Callahan closed out the run-rule victory in the top of the fifth.
 
Mulholland got Rochester back on the scoreboard, cutting Christopher Newport's lead to 11-2 with an RBI double, but the Captains' starter got a pair of groundouts to strand Mulholland and finish off the run-rule-shortened, 11-2 win.
 
Broccolo (1-2) took the loss for Rochester, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits, walking one and striking out one over 2.0 innings pitched. Callahan (3-1) picked up the win for Newport, allowing two runs on four hits over 5.0 innings pitched.
 
Mulholland led the 'Jackets at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Kim went 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored.
 
GAME TWO: Rochester 22, Susquehanna 0 (5 inn.)
After making their way across the bay, URochester scored early and often against the River Hawks, tallying 22 runs on 13 hits and four Susquehanna errors, starting with a nine-run top of the first inning. Back-to-back walks by Kim and Laygo put runners at first and second and then second and third after two stolen bases and a wild pitch, while an error brought home the game's first run on Julianna Lyons' grounder to third.
 
Laygo then scored as Katelyn Wade reached on a fielder's choice, and after Jensen Sminchak walked to load the bases and the River Hawks made a pitching change, Ilana Weiss brought home two more with a two-run double to make it 4-0. Another fielding error brought home two more, while back-to-back doubles by Laygo and Mulholland capped off the nine-run frame, bringing home three more.
 
Broccolo then worked around a leadoff single, striking out a pair in the bottom of the first, and the 'Jackets picked up right where they left off in the top of the second, tacking on four more runs to their lead.
 
With two outs, Kim beat out an infield single to short to make it 10-0, while Laygo followed with a bases-clearing double to give Rochester a 13-0 advantage.
 
After Broccolo cruised through another frame, the Yellowjackets tacked on five more in the third, highlighted by RBI singles from Hernandez and Kinchington to make it an 18-0 lead.
 
Quin Caretti relieved Broccolo to start the bottom of the third and worked around a pair of early base runners, striking out Katelyn Dugery swinging, and getting Julia LaRose to line out to first to keep Susquehanna off the scoreboard.
 
Then, after Rochester put up four more runs in the top of the fourth on RBI singles by Kim, Laygo and Lyons, as well as a bases-loaded walk drawn by Saira Ramakrishnan, Caretti worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth and then a scoreless fifth to close out the 22-0, five-inning, run-rule-shortened victory.
 
Caretti (1-0) earned the win, holding the River Hawks scoreless over three frames while striking out three and allowing two hits, while Broccolo allowed just one hit and one walk, striking out four in her two-inning start.
 
For Susquehanna, Maura Savoca took the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, over 0.1 of an inning pitched.
 
Laygo led Rochester at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a stolen base, a walk, two runs scored and six RBI. Seven Yellowjackets scored multiple runs, while another three had multi-hit games and five had multi-RBI games.
 
The Yellowjackets' 22 runs scored also tied for the third-most in a single game in program history, while Kim's five runs scored tied the single-game program record.
 
Rochester will wrap up its weekend at the Cross Bay Bash on Sunday, March 14, with matchups against Susquehanna and No. 17 Christopher Newport in Newport News, VA, beginning at 11:00 a.m.