Tournament Page and Box Scores
SCHENECTADY, NY -- The Union College softball team won two games in the first day of the 2010 Liberty League Softball Championship Saturday at Alexander Field. The Dutchwomen defeated Skidmore in the first game and wrapped up the day with a win over RPI. Skidmore and RPI both advanced with wins over Rochester, and will face each other Sunday at 11 a.m. with the winner facing Union at 1:15 p.m.
Here are the highlights from the four Saturday games.
GAME 1:
UNION 7, SKIDMORE 1
Tiffany Ippoliti pitched a complete game three hitter to lead #1 seed Union to a 7-1 victory over #4 Skidmore in the first game of the 2010 Liberty League Softball Championship Tournament at Union's Alexander Field Saturday.
With the win, the Dutchwomen improved to 27-8 while the Thoroughbreds fell to 22-13.
Ippoliti allowed one earned run and struck out nine and is now 14-3 on the season. The game featured the two Liberty League Co-Pitchers of the Year. Skidmore's Jen Crose took the loss, giving up five earned runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. Abby Furhman gave up just one hit and an earned run in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
Three players had two hits each for the Dutchwomen, Lauren Hoffman, Ashley Kovack and Hannah Fandl#. Nina Cervini drove in two runs.
The lone Skidmore run was a solo homer by Julia Schwartz, her fifth of the season, coming in the fourth inning.
Kovack had an RBI double and Fandl drove in a run with a single during a three run first for Union. Cervini had a sacrifice fly for a run in the second and an infield ground out for another run in the fourth. Union led 6-0 after the third.
GAME 2:
RPI 4, ROCHESTER 2
Sara Heller had an RBI double in the sixth to snap a 2-2 tie and Felicia Bua allowed two earned runs as RPI advanced to the winners bracket with a 4-2 win over the University of Rochester in the 2010 Liberty League Softball Championship Tournament at Union's Alexander Field Saturday. The Engineers stand 18-16-1 and the Yellowjackets fell to 22-18.
Samantha Paulding had three hits, including an insurance RBI single following Heller's double in the sixth. Bua gave up seven hits and struck out two to improve to a record of 10-9 on the year.
Sara Hutchinson took the loss for Rochester. In her complete game six inning performance, she allowed eight hits and four earned runs, and struck out six.
RPI took a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer to center by Gillian McCarthy in the first. It was her fifth round tripper of the year. Rochester tied it on a two run double by Erin Clark in the top of the third. With one out and Jen Sach at first on a fielder's choice in the sixth, Genevieve Falco single to right, putting Sach to third and setting up Heller's heroics.
GAME 3:
SKIDMORE 1, ROCHESTER 0
Michelle Anderson hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to lead Skidmore to a 1-0 victory over Rochester in the 2010 Liberty League Softball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Union's Alexander Field. The Thoroughbreds improve to 23-13 overall and are scheduled to face the loser of the Rensselaer-Union game at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning. The Yellowjackets fall to 22-19.
The teams played scoreless softball through the first four innings before a 45-minute lightning delay with one out in the top of the fifth. Both teams had chances to score throughout the first six innings but neither were able to push across a run until Anderson took a 2-2 pitch and drove it over the fence in left center to give Skidmore a 1-0 lead. The home run was the first of Anderson's career.
Sam Crose got the start for the Thoroughbreds and allowed no runs on four hits through the first 5+ innings. Abby Fuhrman tossed a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit to pick up the victory. Crose returned in the seventh and picked up her second save of the season, getting the final hitter to ground into a fielder's choice with runners on first and second to end the game.
Sara Hutchinson took the loss for Rochester, allowing just the Anderson home run in two innings of relief. Madeline Skellie got the start in the circle for the Yellowjackets and allowed six hits while striking out five in 5.0 innings of work. Anderson finished with three hits and freshman Julia Schwartz (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) had two hits for Skidmore. Six different players had a hit for Rochester.
GAME 4
UNION 10, RPI 4
Ashley Kovack had three hits and five RBIs, including a three run homer, to lead a 13 hit attack as Union defeated RPI, 10-4 in the final game of the first day of the 2010 Liberty League Softball Tournament at Union's Alexander Field Saturday.
Lauren Hoffman had three hits and Allie Sirrine had two hits and two RBIs for the Dutchwomen, who are now 2-0 in the tourney. Starter Ginni Sack gave up four earned runs in four innings and improved to 14-5. Tiffany Ippoliti came in a allowed four hits in three shutout innings for her third save.
Alysa Rochminski led the Engineers with three hits and joined Sheena McNeil with two RBIs each. Sara Heller hit her third homer of the year, a solo shot in the second, and wound up with three hits and two RBIs.
Starter Jen Bach gave up six earned runs on nine hits in two innings.
Union scored four in the first highlighted by a two run single by Diana Polli. Kovack had a two run double to drive in both runs in the second and drove in all three with her second homer of the year in the third. Allie Sirrine notched her third home run with a solo blast in the sixth.
RPI faces Skidmore at 11 a.m. Sunday, with the winner advancing to the championship round to face Union at 1:15 p.m. The Dutchwomen can clinch the title with a win at 1:15, otherwise there will be another contest at 3:30 p.m.
