TROY, NY – University of Rochester softball earned a pair of victories over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Saturday at Doris Robison Field, topping the Engineers, 9-1, in game one, and 7-3 in game two. With the doubleheader sweep, the Yellowjackets move to 23-5 (10-0 LL) on the year and run their win streak to 17 games, while RPI falls to 19-11 (6-4 LL) with the two losses.
 
Game 1: Rochester 9, RPI 1
After a scoreless first, the Yellowjackets broke through in the top of the second. Rowan Mulholland and Marie Kinchington drew back-to-back walks to lead off against Callie Volker, and a batter later, Katelyn Wade's RBI double brought Mulholland home for the first run of the game.
 
Rochester would then add to its lead in the third, after Molly Broccolo struck out Gabby Heim to stand a pair and end the second.
 
Ally Kim led off the third with an infield single and stole second, and Riley Laygo drew a walk to put two on with nobody out. Jensen Sminchak quickly made it 2-0 with an RBI single down the right-field line, while after Sminchak stole second, Mulholland's sacrifice fly extended Rochester's lead to three. Julianna Lyons' RBI single a batter later made it a 4-0 ballgame, but the Engineers would answer back in the bottom of the third.
 
Evann McDowell laced a one-out triple down the right-field line and came around to score on Callista Adorno's groundout to make it 4-1. However, Broccolo kept the Engineers to just one run in the frame, and then stranded another baserunner in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Maddie White relieved Broccolo in the bottom of the fifth and worked around a leadoff walk, and then struck out a pair in the sixth, before the Yellowjackets put the game out of reach in the seventh.
 
The 'Jackets loaded the bases with a trio of singles from Kinchington, Lyons and Madi Paige, before another single, this one off the bat of Ally Kim, brought another run home to make it 5-1. Laygo then cleared the bases with a three-run triple, extending Rochester's lead to 8-1, and Mulholland tacked on another two batters later with another RBI single to stretch the lead to eight.
 
White then made quick work of the Engineers in the bottom of the seventh to close things out, earning the save and finishing off the win with a strikeout of Sydney Speanburg.
 
Broccolo (12-4) earned the win, allowing just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out three over 4.0 innings pitched. White (3) picked up the save, holding RPI scoreless over three innings pitched while striking out five.
 
For RPI, Volker (3-6) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits, walking and striking out four over 2.2 innings pitched.
 
Laygo drove in a game-high three at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a triple, two walks, two runs scored and three RBI, while Kim, Lyons and Sminchak each had two-hit days.
 
Game 2: Rochester 7, RPI 3
The 'Jackets would again strike first in game two, with Mulholland's two-run single scoring both Kim and Laygo after a pair of leadoff singles in the top of the first.
 
In the circle, Broccolo cruised through the first three frames, allowing just three Engineers to reach base over the first 12 batters she faced. The senior struck out a pair in both the first and second innings, and added another strikeout to end the third, before striking out the side in the fourth, working around a one-out single and two-out walk.
 
RPI would break through on Adorno's fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Speanberg on a throwing error as the 'Jackets tried to turn two. But White relieved Broccolo and worked out of the inning without any more damage, striking out Addison Shaffer to strand a pair.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Yellowjackets would answer right back, scoring five runs on five hits to extend their lead to 7-1. Kim again led off with an infield single and stole second, while Laygo reached on a fielder's choice to put two on with nobody out. Sminchak followed with an RBI single to bring Kim home and make it 4-1, while Mulholland reached on a throwing error to bring another run home.
 
With Kim's second run scored of the game and her fourth of the doubleheader, the junior became URochester's all-time leader in career runs scored, scoring her 141st run to surpass Meghan Hennessy `14.
 
Chloe Fitzgerald pinch-ran for Mulholland and stole second, and while Ava Markert retired the next two Yellowjacket batters, Wade laced a two-out, two-run double to right to score a pair, and Ilana Weiss followed with an RBI single up the middle to extend Rochester's advantage to 7-1.
 
Trailing by six, RPI looked to respond and loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but White got McDowell to fly out to right to end the inning and keep the Engineers off the scoreboard. And after the 'Jackets left a pair on in the top of the seventh, White and Saira Ramakrishnan would close things out in the bottom of the frame.
 
The Engineers loaded the bases against White with a pair of singles and a walk, but White got Maddy Brooks to ground into a 4-3 double play, scoring a run but putting two outs on the board. Ramakrishnan then relieved White, and after Lauren Cosselman's RBI single to make it 7-3, got Jackie Cutting to fly out to finish off the 7-3 victory.
 
Broccolo (13-4) again earned the win, allowing an unearned run on four hits, walking two and striking out eight, tying a season-high, in 4.2 innings pitched. Markert (8-5) took the loss for RPI, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits, striking out five over 7.0 innings pitched.
 
Kim and Mulholland each turned in two-hit days at the plate, with Kim going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Mulholland went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Buffalo, NY, for a mid-week, non-conference doubleheader against Buffalo State on Wednesday, April 22. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.