NEWPORT NEWS, VA – University of Rochester softball topped Susquehanna University, 9-5, before falling to No. 17 Christopher Newport, 14-5, in a run-rule-shortened six innings on the final day of the Cross Bay Bash at Captains Field. With the split, the Yellowjackets wrap up their spring trip at 5-3, while the 17th-ranked Captains move to 9-4 with the win, and the River Hawks drop to 4-9 with the loss.
 
GAME ONE: Rochester 9, Susquehanna 5
Playing as the road team once again vs. the River Hawks, the Yellowjackets quickly took the lead with a pair of hits in the top of the first. Ally Kim legged out an infield single, and after Riley Laygo reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, Rowan Mulholland brought home the game's first run in Laygo with an RBI double to center.
 
Saira Ramakrishnan made her first start for the 'Jackets in the circle, and worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the first to bring URochester back to the plate. And with back-to-back singles from Chloe Fitzgerald and Savanna Hernandez, Rochester doubled its lead.
 
After another 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the second, the River Hawks put a baserunner on against Ramakrishnan in the third, but the first-year stranded Elle Walasavage at third, getting Julia LaRose to strike out and Maddy Devine to pop out to short.
 
URochester then added another run in the top of the fourth, as after back-to-back singles by Katelyn Wade and Jensen Sminchak, a throwing error brought Wade home to make it 3-0.
 
Susquehanna would get one back in the bottom of the fourth on Sydney Perez's sacrifice fly, but with runners at the corners, Julianna Lyons caught Kaylee Smallen trying to steal second, ending the inning without any more damage.
 
Kim led off the top of the fifth with a single and quickly stole second for her 100th-career steal, becoming the first 'Jacket in program history to achieve that feat. Then, after taking third on a wild pitch and Laygo's walk, Kim and Laygo executed a double steal to get the run back and give Rochester a 4-1 advantage.
 
In the top of the sixth, Rochester tacked on two more on Laygo's two-run single to make it a 6-1 ballgame, while in the top of the seventh, the Yellowjackets scored three more on just one hit, extending their lead to 9-1 on a pair of wild pitches and Kim's sacrifice fly.
 
And while the River Hawks would rally in the bottom of the seventh, with back-to-back RBI hits from Alyssa Mayor and LaRose helping cut Rochester's lead to just four, Ramakrishnan got Savannah Patrone to ground out to end the inning, and give the Yellowjackets a 9-5 victory.
 
Ramakrishnan (1-0) earned the complete-game win, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits, walking one and striking out two over seven innings pitched. Brooke Allen (1-3) took the loss for Susquehanna, allowing nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits, walking six and striking out four over six innings pitched.
 
Laygo led Rochester at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases, a run scored and two RBI, while Fitzgerald and Wade each scored two runs, with Fitzgerald going 1-for-2 with a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Wade went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored.
 
GAME TWO: No. 17 Christopher Newport 14, Rochester 5 (6 inn.)
After Haylee Callahan worked a 1-2-3 top of the first with help from a double play, the Captains struck first against Maddie White in the bottom of the frame. Candace Slaw led off with a double, took second on Alexah Gordon's sacrifice bunt, and came around to score on a throwing error to give Christopher Newport a 1-0 lead.
 
And while White struck out Natalie Quinlan for the second out of the inning, a walk brought up Simone Thompson, who blasted a three-run shot to make it a 4-0 Captains' advantage.
 
Rochester would get one back in the top of the second, on Fitzgerald's RBI single, scoring Mulholland after her leadoff single to right, but Christopher Newport would get back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame.
 
Taking advantage of a pair of fielding errors, the Captains turned their 4-1 lead into a 10-1 advantage, scoring six runs on four hits, and forcing Rochester to make a pitching change, bringing in Molly Broccolo to relieve White midway through the inning.
 
Christopher Newport made it 6-1 with a bases-loaded walk and hit-by-pitch, and after Broccolo replaced White, tacked on another three more on RBI singles by Isabel Hall and Kimberly Jones.
 
Leading 10-1, the Captains extended their lead to 11-1 with another run in the bottom of the third, but Broccolo settled things down in the circle, and pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth, working around a leadoff single, a walk, and an error.
 
Rochester then came to the plate in the top of the fifth, needing four runs to continue, and down to their final out, they would get just that. With one out, Laygo doubled to center and took third on Mulholland's grounder to the pitcher. Kinchington and Lyons then drew back-to-back walks to bring up Sminchak, who launched a grand slam over the left-field wall to cut Christopher Newport's lead to just six, 11-5.
 
The Captains would get one back in the bottom of the fifth inning on Cora Thomas' RBI single, but the 'Jackets would keep them from adding any more to continue the contest.
 
However, after Rochester wasn't able to respond in the top of the sixth, the Captains walked things off on Mackenzie Sowonik's two-run homer in the bottom of the frame, finishing off the 14-5, six-inning, run-rule-shortened victory.
 
White (2-1) took the loss for URochester, allowing nine runs, none of which were earned, on four hits, walking three and striking out one in 1.1 innings pitched. Broccolo allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in four innings of relief.
 
For Christopher Newport, Haylee Callahan (4-1) picked up the win, allowing five runs on six hits, walking six and striking out three over 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Sminchak went 1-for-3 with a home run, run scored and four RBI to lead URochester at the plate, while Mulholland went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
The Yellowjackets are back in action next Wednesday, March 18, when they travel crosstown to Pittsford, NY, for a doubleheader against St. John Fisher beginning at 3:00 p.m.