ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Sophomore
Carra Cleaves became the second sophomore and sixth pitcher in Union College softball history to record 100 strikeouts in a season, extending her total to 105 with eight strikeouts in a 2–1 Game 2 win as the Garnet Chargers split with #25 University of Rochester on Sunday at Southside Field, handing the Yellowjackets their first conference loss of the season.
Game 1: Rochester 24, Union 2 (5 inn.)
In Game 1, junior
Sophia Burynski went 2-for-2 at the plate with the Garnet Chargers' lone RBI, while first-year
Amelia Ormond scored the team's other run on an error and drew two walks.
Union (13-18) took a 1–0 lead in the top of the first inning as Ormond scored on an error, but Rochester responded with a pair of RBI singles to take a 2–1 lead and never looked back. The Yellowjackets broke the game open in the second, using two singles and a home run to build a 9–1 advantage.
Rochester continued its offensive surge in the third, tallying two home runs, a single, and a double to extend the lead to 17–1. Union added its second run in the fourth when Burynski singled to right field to drive in sophomore
Amy FitzPatrick.
The Yellowjackets added two more home runs and three singles in the fourth to cap the scoring at 24–2, while holding Union scoreless in the fifth.
Game 2: Union 2, Rochester 1
Cleaves pitched a complete game, going seven innings while allowing just three hits and one unearned run, with zero walks and eight strikeouts on 100 pitches. Junior
Sam Rose led the offense, going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring both of Union's runs. Senior
Ellie Wintringer contributed an RBI, while Cleaves also added an RBI.
Union (14-18) got on the board first in the third inning, when Wintringer singled to center field and advanced to second on the throw, driving in Rose. In the sixth inning, Cleaves doubled to left center to bring in Rose and to give Union a 2–1 lead. Later in the sixth inning for Rochester, Riley Laygo hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Ally Kim to score. However, Union's defense closed out the game in the seventh, securing the 2-1 win.
Union returns to action Tuesday with a non-conference twinbill at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, with games scheduled for 3:00 and 5:00 p.m
