SCHENECTADY, NY – Union sophomore infielder
Megan Kaknis (New Windsor, NY/NFA) continued her torrid pace with her 12
th and 13
th home runs of the season, and senior second baseman
Colleen White (Westport, CT/Staples) had five hits on Senior Day as the Dutchwomen softball team swept Liberty League rival St. Lawrence, 6-0 and 13-7 at Alexander Field Sunday. Union, winners of 12 of 13 games, improved to 23-7 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty League, while the Saints fell to 8-16-1 and 2-6 in the league.
White, the lone senior on the roster, was honored in between games of the twinbill. Union finished the home season with an 11-1 record. Union freshman pitcher
Tiffany Ippoliti (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville) pitched a one-hit shutout in the opener to improve to 9-4 on the season.
In the opener, the Dutchwomen scored four times in the fourth and two in the fifth. Kaknis had an RBI double and the next batter, catcher
Catherine Kielb (Rensselaer, NY/Columbia) hit a two run homer to straight away center, her third of the season. Kaknis hit a two-run shot in the fifth. Ippoliti retired the first 13 batters of the game before allowing a clean single to left by freshman Jenna Padeni (Jaffrey, NH/Conant). Ippoliti then retired the next eight batters for the victory.
St. Lawrence sophomore starter Janelle Graves (Fort Ann, NY/Fort Ann) gave up five hits and three earned runs in three innings to take the loss. Jess McPherson (Ogdensburg, NY/Ogdensburg Free Academy) gave up four hits and two earned runs in three innings of relief.
The Saints jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the second of the nightcap. The inning featured a passed ball, a wild pitch two errors and three Saints hits, including an RBI single by senior Yralee Mendez (New York, NY/Landmark). Union got one back on a Kielb leadoff homer in the bottom of the stanza, then made it 5-4 in the fourth on a three-run homer by Kaknis. The Dutchwomen tied it with a bases loaded RBI single by junior outfielder
Megan Bordino (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz). In the fifth, the Saints took a 7-5 lead with two-out, RBI singles by freshman shortstop Megan Swan (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and sophomore designated player Lilah Brown (Easthampton, MA/Williston-Northampton).
Union broke open the game with an eight-run sixth inning. Rogers hit a three-run homer to left, her sixth of the year, to make it 8-7 Union, and the Dutchwomen also featured big hits in the inning with an RBI single by
Kaitlin Graham (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) and a two-run double by
Ashley Kovack (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield).
Freshman pitcher Ginny Sack (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills) improved to 9-1 on the year. She picked up the win in relief, with 1 2/3 work that allowed just one hit and struck out two. White was 4 for 4 in the game while Rogers and Kaknis each had two hits and three RBIs in the game that featured 15 Union hits.
Swan and freshman Alexandria Wajer (Newcastle, ME/Lincoln Academy) had two each of St. Lawrence's 10 hits. Graves was the losing pitcher in the second game.
Union also has a non-league doubleheader coming up, Tuesday at SUNY Oswego.
