Softball Splits with RIT

Sophomore Brooke Lovell drove in four runs in Game Two as the Keuka College softball team earned a split with RIT Thursday afternoon (photo courtesy of Ed Webber, Keuka College Sports Information Department).

GAME ONE BOXSCORE
GAME TWO BOXSCORE

Sophomore Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches) belted a two-run home run and classmate Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) threw another complete-game victory to lead the Keuka College softball team to a 6-3 win over RIT in Game One of a non-conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon at Keuka.

In the nightcap, RIT (10-20) jumped out to an 8-0 lead before the Storm (13-7) rallied with 10 unanswered runs. However, the Tigers salvaged a split with the Storm, scoring twice in the sixth and pushing across the winning run in the seventh on a single.

After being no-hit over the first two innings, the Storm’s bats broke through for three runs in the third and another in the fourth in Game One.

Following a bloop single from sophomore Katie Evangelista (Geneva, NY/Geneva) that snapped starter Sarah Collmus’ no-hitter, Bandrowski crushed a a two-run home run over the left field fence to highlight the three-run third.

Keuka’s lead swelled to 4-0 on a fourth-inning RBI single from Gravel, who was effective on the mound in improving to 9-2 on the season.

Gravel was dialed in against the Tigers, limiting the RIT attack to only three singles through the first five innings. RIT threatened in the seventh, pushing across three runs and loading the bases with two outs, but Gravel induced a harmless pop up to first baseman Kelly Proper (Silver Springs, NY/Letchworth) to end the game.

The win was the 150th in head coach Jamie Burke’s seven-year tenure leading the Storm.

In the nightcap, the Tigers pushed across six first-inning runs, including a grand slam by Sarah Wolcott to take a 6-0 lead after one.

The Tiger lead grew to 8-0 in the second, but Proper came on in relief and held RIT to five runs (four earned) over six innings.

Meanwhile, Keuka’s attack got on track. After being no-hit through two innings, junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) and freshman Haley Jordan (Auburn, NY/Auburn) each singled and Smyder crossed the plate with the Storm’s first run of the game on a single by freshman Sara Sloan (Heuvelton, NY/Heuvelton).

Bandrowski and senior Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan) each followed with RBI singles to pull Keuka within 8-3 before sophomore Brooke Lovell (Arkport, NY/Arkport) added a two-run single to complete the five-run third.

After Jordan walked and Sloan reached on an error in the fourth, Gravel’s sacrifice fly pulled the Storm within 8-6 before Lovell knotted the score with a two-run single into center field.

The Storm completed its 10-run unanswered streak with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Smyder scored on a wild pitch and Gravel added an RBI single through the right side of the infield to give Keuka a 10-8 lead. But the Tigers answered with two runs in the sixth and took the lead for good on an RBI single in the seventh.

Keuka had one last chance to tie the game, but the Storm was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh to snap a seven-game winning streak.

Lovell finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, Disbrow was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored and Jordan, junior Terin Brown (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) and sophomore Jill Hart (Cowlesville, NY/Iroquois) each had two hits in the second game.

The Storm returns to action with a 1 p.m. North Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with SUNY Cobleskill Saturday afternoon at Keuka. Those games will serve as Senior Day for the Storm, which also hosts Morrisville State at 1 p.m. Sunday in another NEAC doubleheader.