SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior
Catie Raeter launched a go-ahead three-run homer to give herself the win in the circle and lead the Union College softball team to a Senior Day sweep of St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon at Alexander Field. The Dutchwomen took game one by a 5-1 score before winning the second game, 5-3.
Playing on their home field for the final time, all four seniors made an impact in Saturday's sweep. Raeter launched her first career homer and drove in three while also tossing 4.1 innings to earn the win in game two, and
Makayla Koehler struck out seven in a complete-game win in game one.
Stuart Buxton drove in a run and scored once, while
Kendall Rogoff had two hits, scored twice and drove in one.
Among non-seniors, sophomore
Olivia Valery went 2-for-6 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored, while classmate
Anna Zdunczyk had a team-leading four hits on the day.
Game 1: Union 5, St. Lawrence 1
Koehler (5-8) shut down the Saints to start the day, scattering seven hits in the 5-1 victory. The senior struck out a season-high seven batters and allowed just one run to earn her fifth win of the year.
After two scoreless innings, Union strung together three straight hits to take the lead. Buxton started the rally with a double, then came home on a Zdunczyk triple to center. Sophomore
Karson Saunders followed with an infield single that plated Zdunczyk and doubled the Union lead.
The lead grew by three more in the fifth thanks to one swing of the bat by Valery, as she followed a SLU error and a single by junior
Julia Boule by launching a homer down the left-field line that put the Dutchwomen up 5-0.
The Saints avoided the shutout with one run in the sixth inning, but Koehler closed the door on her fifth complete game of the season.
Game 2: Union 5, St. Lawrence 3
Raeter was the story at the plate and in the circle in game two, allowing two unearned runs and backing herself up with her first career homer to earn the victory.
The senior allowed two unearned runs in the top of the third to tie the score, but she made up for that in a big way in the bottom half. After the first two batters were retired, Rogoff walked and Koehler singled to keep the inning alive for Raeter, who crushed her first career homer – and first hit of the season – over the wall in left to give Union a 5-2 lead.
Making her first start of the year, Raeter (2-0) finished allowing just four hits with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings to earn her second victory of the season. Sophomore
Amanda Granato tossed the final 2.2 innings to earn the save, allowing one solo homer.
The Dutchwomen took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, as Rogoff delivered an RBI single to score Valery and Buxton followed later in the frame with a sacrifice fly.
Union will look to close the 2021 season out positively tomorrow, when the Dutchwomen travel to Canton to complete their weekend series with St. Lawrence beginning at 1 p.m.
