Game 1 Box  / Game 2 Box

TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore Michelle Street (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) recorded a school record 17 strikeouts in leading the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Castleton State. The Red Hawks blanked the Spartans, 5-0 in game one and battled to a 10-2, five inning victory in the nightcap.

Rensselaer (11-3) opened the scoring in the first inning on a single by sophomore Julianne Bass (Costa Mesa, CA/Newport Harbor). Adding another run in the fourth, the Red Hawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs, including a pair of doubles from Bass and freshman Christina Ciccione (Massapequa, NY/Plainedge).

Street, who went seven innings for her fourth complete game of the year, surrendered just one hit and no walks in her record-setting performance to improve to 5-2. Junior Meg Robitaille (Milton, VT/Milton) shouldered the loss for Castleton State, going six innings while allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with three walks.

In its second game, Rensselaer held a 2-0 lead after two innings, but the Spartans battled back in the top of the third. After a pair of singles from junior Laura Rodgers (Schuylerville, NY/Schuylerville) and senior Elizabeth Marion (Dorset, VT/Burr & Burton), senior Carley Amedore (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) belted in a two-run double to tie things up.

The Red Hawks answered for three runs in the bottom of the frame and added two in the fourth and three in the fifth for the eight-run advantage. Leading the way offensively for RPI was junior Beth Gargon (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) went 2 for 3, including a two-run homerun in the second inning. She also had four runs batted in. Senior Katherine Valenta (LaGrange, IL/Lyons Township) was 3 for 3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI while three other Red Hawks added multiple hits in the game.

Freshman hurler Michelle Bianchetti (Highland Mills, NY/John S. Burke Catholic) picked up her fifth win of the season, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five through five innings. For the Spartans, junior Angie Carpenter (Sharon, VT/Hartford) suffered the loss giving up ten runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts and a walk in 4.1 innings.

Rensselaer continues its homestand tomorrow afternoon when it hosts third-ranked Ithaca at Doris Robison Field (1pm). Castleton State (0-2) is back in action on Tuesday in a doubleheader at Johnson State.