TROY, N.Y. – Senior Jamie Bridge tossed a one-hit gem for the Clarkson University Softball team on Thursday afternoon, blanking RIT 4-0 in the opening round of the Liberty League Tournament at Rensselaer's Doris Robison Field.
The Golden Knights, the third seed in the Liberty League Tournament, improved to 21-16 on the year, setting a new school standard for wins in a season. Second-seeded RIT dropped to 21-15 in 2017. Clarkson heads to the winners' bracket and will take on top-seeded Rensselaer at 10:00 am on Friday, weather permitting. The Engineers defeated fourth-seeded Skidmore 5-2 in the first game of the tournament. The first losers' bracket game (Skidmore versus RIT) is scheduled for 12:30 pm and a second elimination game in set for 3:00 pm on Friday.
After both teams went fairly quietly in the first two innings, with each just accumulating one hit, Clarkson became the first team to break the goose eggs on the scoreboard. With one down, Bridget Woolley dumped a single over first base andRaeanna Dunn legged out a bunt for an infield single. Summer Lancette followed with a single up the middle, but the ball was hit too hard to get Woolley home, loading the bases. Jamie Bridge came up with a chance to help her own cause, but popped up to second, leaving it up to her battery-mate, Michele Winn. Winn nearly recorded her second grand slam of the season, but instead had to settle for a bases-clearing double, as she ripped a 1-2 pitch off the left-centerfield fence to drive in three runs. RIT put a runner on second in the bottom half of the inning, but Jamie Bridge finished off the inning with her third strikeout of the frame to end the threat.
Clarkson picked up another run in the top of the fourth to add to its cushion. Kyrstin Messier laced a single back up the box and through the middle and was pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt by Liz Caggiano. Following a ground out, Bridget Woolley singled through the middle and advanced to second on the throw attempting to get Messier at the plate, but the freshmen held at third. That set the stage for Dunn, who nearly singled off the shortstop's glove, allowing Messier to score, though RIT got out of the jam when Woolley was hung up between second and third.
Bridge kept on cruising, allowing only a single base runner from the fourth through the sixth innings on an error in front of the plate. With a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, Bridge picked up her ninth strikeout with a fastball on the outside corner, catching Alexandria Lunderman looking. Sam Killian then lined out to short and Olivia Doret popped up to short just off the dirt to end the game.
Bridge, who improved to 12-8 on the season with her third complete-game shutout of the season, finished with nine strikeouts against no walks and just the single second-inning hit by Olivia Doret. Clarkson, meanwhile, pounded out 10 hits, with most of them coming over the final five frames. Dunn finished 3-for-4 while Woolley and Messier each were 2-for-3. Winn drove in three on her lone hit of the game. RIT's Sierra Valentine fell to 9-7 with the loss, allowing all four runs on eight hits in four innings of work.
