TROY, N.Y. – Freshman
Kate Anderson came through with a two-out, three-run, walk-off single to lift the 20th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team to a 4-3 victory over SUNY Oneonta, on Tuesday afternoon at Doris Robison Field. Game 2 of the scheduled doubleheader was called due to visibility in the fifth inning and declared a no contest. The Engineers, who extended their winning streak to 14 games, improve to 16-2 overall, while the Red Dragons drop to 6-10-1.
The visitors broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh, when senior designated player Lauren Sabatino launched a two-run home run to left, to take a 3-1 lead.
RPI then mounted a threat in the bottom half, loading the bases on a walk, a hit and a hit by pitch with one away. Junior
Maddie Provencher stepped up and battled to a full count, before tapping a ball back to the pitcher. Junior righthander Alyssa Bluethgen came home to get the lead runner, and Provencher beat out the double play relay to keep the game alive.
Anderson lifted a 1-0 pitch down the right field line, that fell just out of the reach of Olivia Murray. With two outs in the inning, all three runners were in motion on contact and were able to come around to score on the walk-off single - the first three runs batted in of Anderson's collegiate career.
Freshman righthander
Erika Holowka (9-1) allowed three runs (2 earned) on seven hits over 7.0 innings to earn the victory in the circle. She struck out seven and walked one, throwing 123 pitches. Bluethgen (3-4) surrendered four runs (3 earned) on nine hits in 6.2 innings, striking out seven and walking five.
Center fielder
Jessica Torch, who scored the first run of the game, led off the bottom of the first with an infield single, before classmate
Ryleigh Greenwald dropped down a sacrifice bunt that was thrown down the right field line for an error. Torch scored on the play.
Torch made history in the second inning, walking with two away, before steal second – her 24th stolen base of the season, which broke a 14-year-old school record, previously held by Steph Vanek '06, which she set in 2005.
Oneonta plated its first run in the top of the fifth, when shortstop Caroline Koch singled to center, scoring Jade Meehan from third.
The Engineers are back in action this Saturday, when they visit RIT for a doubleheader (1pm). Oneonta travels to Oswego State on Friday for a twin bill (3pm).
