University of Rochester Athletics

Needing two wins to clinch the Liberty League Tournament Championship, 24th-ranked University of Rochester softball twice defeated the Ithaca College Bombers on Saturday afternoon at Southside Field to win the ninth Tournament Championship in program history. With the two wins, Rochester moves to 35-8 on the year and clinches an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship, while the Bombers drop to 23-12 with the two losses.
 
For her performance over the Yellowjackets' five contests in the tournament, junior Riley Laygo was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer. Laygo hit .538 in 13 at-bats with two doubles, a home run, four walks, nine runs scored and five RBI.
 
Game 1: #24 Rochester 2, Ithaca 0
Game one would prove to be a pitcher's duel, as Maddie White and Taylor Brunn battled it out over the first few frames. Brunn stranded Laygo after the junior reached on an error in the top of the first, while White worked a quick 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the inning.
 
Rochester would squeak a run across against Brunn in the top of the second as Katelyn Wade led off and was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around to score on Marie Kinchington's RBI single. But Brunn would limit the 'Jackets to just one run, stranding another runner at second base, one of 10 the 'Jackets left on in game one.
 
White cruised through the first three frames, setting down the first 10 batters she faced, while Brunn stranded two more Yellowjackets in the third, getting a flyout with runners at second and third.
 
Mady Rowell relieved Brunn to start the fourth and stranded two more 'Jackets on base, getting Ally Kim to fly out after Ilana Weiss singled and Madi Paige walked.
 
White retired Anna Bello to start her second time through the Bombers' order to open the bottom of the fourth. But after falling behind in the count against Madison Schoenenberger, the sophomore took White's 3-1 pitch deep to center for a game-tying solo home run. White limited the damage to just one run, stranding Haley Petrucci with a pair of pop-outs, sending URochester back to the plate.
 
The 'Jackets then threatened once again in the top of the fifth, with a leadoff walk by Laygo, followed by an infield single by Rowan Mulholland. Jensen Sminchak then moved the runners up 60 feet with a sacrifice bunt, but Rowell retired the next two Yellowjackets via a strikeout and flyout to keep Rochester from retaking the lead.
 
In the circle, White settled down after giving up a run in the fourth, cruising through the bottom of the fifth with a pair of strikeouts, and getting a trio of flyouts in the sixth, one of five 1-2-3 frames for White against the Bombers.
 
And in the top of the seventh, Rochester would put the leadoff batter aboard for the fourth time, and this time, the 'Jackets would push the go-ahead run across. Laygo led off the inning with a single to center and took second on an error. Then, after a sacrifice bunt by Mulholland, Rowell retired Sminchak, but Wade slashed an RBI single through the left side to score Laygo and give URochester a 2-1 lead.
 
White yielded just her second hit allowed to start the seventh, an infield single by Petrucci, but the senior locked in and retired the next three Bombers, striking out Kailen Winkelblech to force a decisive, game seven in the Liberty League Tournament.
 
White (12-3) earned the win, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out five. For Ithaca, Rowell (9-3) took the loss, allowing one unearned run on five hits, walking and striking out two over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Laygo went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored at the plate, while Wade went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
 
Game 2: #24 Rochester 8, Ithaca 5
Playing as the home team in game two, Molly Broccolo toed the rubber for the Yellowjackets and worked around a hit and an error in the top of the first, getting Sydney Miranda swinging to strand runners at first and second base.
 
Rochester then quickly jumped out in front in the bottom of the inning, with a leadoff single by Kim, followed, a batter later, by an RBI single by Mulholland to give Rochester a 1-0 advantage.
 
However, the Bombers would answer back in the top of the second, taking advantage of three errors to push a run across. Broccolo, though, would come through with a strikeout once again, getting Petrucci swinging to leave the bases loaded and keep the Bombers from taking the lead.
 
With another strikeout, one of six on the day, Broccolo would again strand a pair in the top of the third, getting Ava Rao swinging with Ithaca baserunners at second and third.
 
The Yellowjackets then broke through in the bottom of the third, with a six-run frame capped off by the 'Jackets' fifth grand slam of the year. Kim led off the inning with a single and came around to score just four pitches later, as Laygo doubled to right center to give Rochester a 2-1 lead.
 
With Laygo on second, Maddie Collins walked both Mulholland and Sminchak, loading the bases and forcing the Bombers to make a pitching change, again bringing in Rowell out of the bullpen.
 
However, Wade quickly greeted Rowell with an RBI single to left center to extend Rochester's lead to 3-1. And after Rowell retired Kinchington, Julianna Lyons took Rowell's 1-0 offering over the left-field fence for a grand slam home run, giving the Yellowjackets a 7-1 lead.
 
The Bombers would get one back in the top of the fourth on Schoenenberger's RBI groundout, scoring Bello, to make it 7-2, and then threatened again in the fifth. But Broccolo erased Cate Murray's leadoff single with a 6-3 double play, and then worked around a walk and an error to keep Ithaca off the scoreboard.
 
Taylor Brunn relieved Rowell to start the bottom of the fifth and stranded two more Yellowjacket base runners, while the Bombers pushed another run across in the sixth to cut Rochester's lead to 7-3.
 
Bello reached on an infield single, and Schoeneberger followed with a double down the line to put two on with just one out. A groundout to second scored Bello to put another run on the board for the Bombers, but Broccolo got another groundout to end the threat and keep the 'Jacket lead at four.
Kim and Laygo started the sixth with back-to-back hits as the 'Jackets looked for an insurance run, and on Sminchak's squeeze play, the Yellowjackets would get just that, extending their lead to 8-3.
 
Broccolo came back out for the seventh and got two quick outs with a groundout and lineout, but back-to-back singles by Elise Waddington and Rao kept the inning alive. The Bombers then took advantage of two errors to plate both runs and pull within three, but Broccolo retired Bello with a fly out to left to finish off the win and clinch the title for Rochester.
 
Broccolo (19-5) earned the win with another complete-game effort in the circle for the 'Jackets, allowing five runs, two earned, on nine hits, walking one and striking out six.
 
Collins (6-7) took the loss for Ithaca, allowing five runs on five hits, walking two and striking out three over 2.0 innings pitched.
 
Kim went 4-for-4 with three runs scored at the top of the Yellowjacket lineup, while Laygo went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Lyons had a team-high four RBI, going 1-for-2 with her grand slam, a walk and a run scored.
 
With the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament secured, the Yellowjackets will find out where they'll be headed when the NCAA Division III Softball Selection Show airs on Monday, May 11, at 11:00 a.m.