ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Union College softball team split a Liberty League doubleheader against the University of Rochester on Friday afternoon, posting a 10-1 game one win before suffering a 7-0 game two loss from Southside Field. Union earned its first win at Southside Field since 2011.
The Dutchwomen ended the Yellowjackets' 18-game winning streak with the victory, cruising past a team that had outscored its opponents by a 66-3 margin loss over the last nine games. This was Union's first win at the University of Rochester in 11 years, with the last win coming in 2011.
Junior pitcher
Amanda Granato was excellent in the circle, throwing a complete game three-hitter to earn her 10th win of the season in game one. She is the first Union pitcher since 2015 to reach the double-digit win mark, the first since Allyson Staats finished the 2015 season 15-15.
Game One: Union 10, Univ. of Rochester 1
Union piled on the offense in game one, led by junior
Karson Saunders, who went 3-3 with two singles and a two-run home run. She also tallied two RBIs in game one. Granato went 3-4 with three RBIs in the game one run win as well.
After two singles off the bats of junior
Tara Hartnett and Saunders, classmate
Olivia Valery hit a sac fly to left center and scored Hartnett from third as Union jumped up 1-0 after the first inning. They did not look back on their way to a 10-1 win.
In the third inning, senior
Julissa Malana singled to begin the inning and then Saunders belted a two-run home run to left center field, extending the Union lead to 3-0. This was Saunders' eighth home run of the 2022 campaign and her fifth against a Liberty League opponent.
The Yellowjackets answered in the bottom of the fourth inning, with a solo shot, cutting the Dutchwomen lead to 3-1, but Granato (10-6) shut down the UR offense after that. the junior allowed just three hits and retired the final 10 Yellowjacket batters in order to secure the win for Union.
Union added their fourth run of the game after a throwing error from the Yellowjacket catcher that scored Saunders. Later in the inning, Valery scored from third after first-year
Tatum Perkins stole second and the throw ended up in the outfield. Perkins scored on a Granato single to give Union a 6-1 lead.
Valery singled in Hartnett again in the top half of seventh inning to extend their lead to 7-1. Granato continued her excellent day from inside the circle and the batter's box, with a two-run single into the left center gap. Senior
Lindsey Podlaski scored on a double into right center from first-year catcher
Nahnny Sobetzko to extend the Union lead to 10-1.
Game Two: Univ. of Rochester 7, Union 0
The University of Rochester no-hit the Dutchwomen in game two on their way to a 7-0 win. First-year Lauren Keys threw 90 pitches and struck out six Dutchwomen on her way to a no hitter for the Yellowjackets in game two.
Rochester struck first in the bottom of the first inning, scoring on a double to make it 1-0. Rochester added three more runs in the third inning, coming off of four hits to extend their lead to 4-0. In the fourth inning, the Yellowjackets added two more runs, and then scored their seventh run of the afternoon on a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth.
Granato (10-7) was credited with the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk in three innings of action. Senior
Rochelle Nuqui came on in relief, throwing two innings and allowing two runs on two hits, with two strikeouts. First-year
Riley Callahan also shared time in the circle for Union. She allowed one run on a hit.
Union (19-11, 5-9) will finish the regular season the road, as they travel to Middlebury College to take on the Panthers on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
