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Potsdam, NY – Sophomore Lexi Rydelek hit a pair of home runs in support of starting pitcher Devin Fitzpatrick as the Clarkson University Softball team salvaged a split against University of Rochester, with the Yellowjackets taking game one 7-0 and the Golden Knights winning the second contest 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Scott Field.
The Golden Knights pushed their record to 14-11 overall and 4-2 in the Liberty League, winning three of four conference games this weekend. Rochester did the same, going to 5-1 in conference and 13-9 overall. Clarkson has a non-conference doubleheader slated for Tuesday when it hosts Plattsburgh State.
Game one saw Fitzpatrick greeted by a solo home run from Bailey Nicholoff to start the contest, but the senior settled in after that, striking out numerous hitters in the Rochester lineup. However, Clarkson had trouble solving the Yellowjackets’ starter Molly Broccolo, as she had just a pair of strikeouts in the game but was inducing ground out after ground out. Rochester took advantage of the pitchers’ duel and eventually scored three more in the fifth and then another three-spot in the sixth.
In the fifth, Rochester loaded the bases on a single, error, and hit by pitch, providing Riley Laygo an opportunity for an RBI single to make it 2-0. Rowan Mulholland followed with a single up the middle to score two more. Clarkson ended the perfect game bid by Broccolo when Lexi Rydelek singled past Molly Mason at shortstop to give the Knights their first base runner in the bottom half of the fifth, but Rochester made sure to put the game away in the next inning. A throwing error pushed one run across for the Yellowjackets, and another came around on a fielder’s choice before Laygo’s RBI single made it 7-0. Clarkson challenged in the bottom of the seventh with his from Elissa Uveino and Zoey Kovach, but two quick outs ended the threat.
Fitzpatrick took the loss, throwing six innings and giving up seven runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out seven. Amanda Corrice had one strikeout and gave up one hit in pitching the final inning for the Knights. Broccolo gained the win for Rochester, giving up one hit with no walks over 5.2 innings, while Lauren Keys finished the game, working the final four outs and allowing two hits with one strikeout.
Game two looked like both teams might score early on, as Rochester put two runners on in the top half of the first and Clarkson had runners on second and third with one out in the bottom half of the frame, but neither team could complete the circuit. Clarkson again challenged in the bottom half of the second, loading the bases with one out, but Maddy White was able to wiggle out of the jam.
That would not be the case in the third as three quick hits resulted in three runs. Kovach singled to left and Fitzpatrick dropped in a single just inside the right field line to put runners on first and second. Rydelek took little time to settle in at the batter’s box, ripping a hard liner over the left field fence to put Clarkson up 3-0.
Rochester responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning when Rowan Mulholland doubled and Jenna Gorecki reached on a walk. However, both runs by the Yellowjackets turned out to be unearned as a sacrifice bunt allowed one run to come in when the ball was dropped and an RBI groundout by Molly Mason sent another home, pulling the deficit back to one at 3-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Rydelek stayed hot for the Knights, dropping what appeared to just be a deep fly ball to center over the wall to start off the frame, and giving the Knights a 4-2 lead. That was the end of the scoring, however, as Fitzpatrick did the job the rest of the way, retiring Rochester in order on three straight ground outs in the sixth and then dodging a one-out single in the seventh with two more groundball outs to end the contest.
Fitzpatrick gained the win in game two, throwing all seven innings and allowing two unearned runs on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts, including the 300th of her collegiate career. Zoey Kovach finished 3-for-4 at the dish for the Knights, while Rydelek accounted for all four RBI and was 2-for-3.