Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Senior centerfielder Stephanie Vanek’s (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the 21st-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team to a 2-1 victory over Union College and gave the Red Hawks a sweep of the Liberty League doubleheader. Rensselaer, which won the first game 4-1, improves to 29-3 overall and ties the school record for wins in a season. RPI is 4-0 in the league. Union falls to 23-5 and 1-3 in the Liberty League.

With the Dutchwomen leading the nightcap 1-0 in the seventh inning, RPI junior Katherine Valenta (LaGrange, IL/Lyons Township) singled to open the frame. A sacrifice bunt put Valenta in scoring position and sophomore Courtney Sweeney (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) knocked her home with a double over the leftfielder’s head. Following a strikeout, Vanek hit a two-strike pitch to centerfield to plate Sweeney with the game-winning run.

Senior Amy Huling (Vienna, VA/Holton-Arms) earned the win from the circle, allowing just one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts in the complete game. She is now 12-2. Vanek finished with two hits and an RBI while five other players had one hit.

Senior Jackie Coffey (Boston, MA/Boston Latin) suffered her first loss of the season despite her ten strikeouts. She is now 12-1. The Dutchwomen, who took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out throwing error, got two hits from freshman Megan Kaknis (New Windsor, NY/NFA) and single hits from two others.

Rensselaer put itself in position for the doubleheader sweep with its win in the opener. Freshman Michelle Street (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) held Union, the national leader in team batting average, to eight hits with seven strikeouts. She is now 13-1. Offensively, freshman Sara Finkbeiner (Napanoch, NY/Ellenville) had a two-run home run with two runs scored while Sweeney was 3 for 3.

Senior Abby Arceneaux (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) dropped to 11-4 for Union after allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with five strikeouts. She also collected three hits. Junior second baseman Colleen White (Westport, CT/Staples) also had three hits with an RBI.

Rensselaer, which ties the 1998 team’s record for wins in a season (29-9), returns to the field for a home doubleheader on Sunday against Skidmore (12pm). Union also plays again on Sunday when it travels to St. Lawrence for a pair of games (12pm). Both twinbills are league matchups.