In the final week of the regular season, the UR Softball team (URSB) faced off against St. John Fisher and Nazareth Colleges, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and finally, St. Lawrence University. Before their first game on Tuesday, the team’s record stood at 17–11 after posting three wins the weekend prior against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College.
Despite a strong start in the first game, which included two runs scored in the first inning, the Yellowjackets were swept by St. John Fisher, which is ranked 10th nationally. In game one, senior pitcher Eleni Wechsler held off the Cardinals for three innings, but in the fourth, they managed to score four runs.
The bases were loaded after a walk, a dropped throw on a sac bunt and a single when St. John Fisher’s Julia Sortisio hit a double to right field for two runs. The Cardinals scored two more runs in the fourth and three in the sixth to contribute to a final score of 7–2. The Yellowjackets looked to avenge their loss in the second game, but missed their goal, falling 5–0 after St. John Fisher scored two runs in the third inning, one in the fourth and two in the sixth.
In game two, sophomore catcher Harleigh Kaczegowicz had a single and a double, with freshman infielder Lydia Petricca singling in the seventh.
At Nazareth College on Wednesday, an offensive burst gave UR a 4–0 lead heading into the third inning of the first game. Sophomore utility player Rachel Pletz had a home run to make it 5–0 for the Yellowjackets as they headed into the fourth inning. Sophomore pitcher Elizabeth Bourne relieved Wechsler in the fourth, and Nazareth was able to score three runs off of a walk and four hits in the inning. The final score was 5–3 in favor of the Yellowjackets.
In game two, the score was tied after the Golden Flyers scored in the fifth inning, which matched UR’s one run in the second. On a walk and an misplayed bunt for an error in the seventh, Nazareth scored twice. St. John Fisher’s Delaney St. George hit a home run, giving the Golden Flyers a total of three runs in the final inning, which sealed the 4–1 win over UR. The split against Nazareth left the Yellowjackets with a record of 18–14 going into Friday’s game against RIT.
At home against the Tigers, UR scored four times in the first inning of game one, but their opponent answered with five runs in the top of the fourth. Two runs off of a single by freshman infielder Anne Marie Cortes gave UR a 6–5 lead going into the sixth inning. RIT’s Erin Guinan earned two runs off of a double in the seventh and scored on a single by Sam Killian, who then scored the Tiger’s fourth run of the inning off of a single. The final score of game one was 9–6 in favor of RIT, but UR came back to take the second game 3–2 after sophomore Raegan Herne scored in the extra inning. Senior pitcher Sam Malecki allowed seven hits, two earned runs, one walk and had two strikeouts in the game’s eight innings. RIT’s win secured their spot in the Liberty League Playoffs, and UR’s kept their hopes for the same outcome alive.
The Yellowjackets traveled north on Saturday to play St. Lawrence University, which is 20–10 on the season. Wechsler pitched for UR in game one and earned a shutout after striking out nine times and allowing only four hits. In the first, Kaczegowicz doubled and scored on a single from Petricca. In the fifth inning, Petricca earned another run, with three more coming from Wechsler’s triple, which left the bases loaded. Another run in the sixth inning would make the final score of game one 6–0. In the second game of the day, Kaczegowicz and Petricca continued to perform well at bat, both having three hits. Weschler, senior outfielder Courtney Semkewyc and junior utility player Jocelyn Blackshear were also strong hitters for UR with two hits apiece, contributing to a final score of 10–6.
The sweep against the Saints ended UR’s regular season with a conference record of 6–6. The team is now awaiting the results of the final day of conference play to see if they will be competing in the Liberty League playoffs.
