CLINTON, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team matched their season-long winning streak mark on Wednesday afternoon, as they swept the Hamilton College Continentals by final scores of 5-3 and 7-4 in a doubleheader. The wins make 10 straight wins for the Engineers, as they improve their record to 21-5 overall while Hamilton falls to 16-16.
 
Game 1
Hamilton broke through with the first runs of the game, snapping Alexis Cooke's streak of scoreless innings over her last three appearances. The Continentals scored three times, with RBI singles coming from Emma Tansky and Jordan Merklin before an RPI error gave them their 3-0 lead.
 
The lead didn't last long, as the Engineers tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the second inning. Freshman Maddy Brooks knocked a double to left field, scoring both Evann McDowell and Caroline Peel to cut the lead to 3-2 before Erin Askins tied the game with an RBI single up the middle to score Brooks.
 
Askins broke the tie in the top of the fourth in her next at-bat, as she roped a triple to left center, scoring Sydney Speanburg to make the score 4-3 in favor of RPI.
 
Freshman Callista Adorno added the cushion in the top of the seventh, collecting her team-high third home run of the season to give the Engineers a 5-3 lead. Brooke Sroczinski finished off the game over the final three innings, holding the Continentals without a run in earning her seventh save of the season.
 
Game 2
Sroczinski and Cooke swapped places in game two, pitching the Engineers to a win as Cooke pitched the final three innings earning her first save of the season.
 
Despite Hamilton earning the first run in the bottom of the first, RPI responded with a four-run second inning, as McDowell, Speanburg, and Askins all went back-to-back-to-back with RBI hits – with Speanburg knocking a double down the left field line as the big hit of the inning.
 
RPI added a run in the third to take a 5-1 lead before Hamilton cut the lead back to one in the bottom of the third. A triple from Merklin to score two runs set up the innings before she then scored on a sacrifice bunt to make the score 5-4.
 
However in the top of the fourth, Gabby Comeau extended the RPI lead back to three with an RBI single through the right side, scoring both Speanburg and McDowell to make the score 7-4.
 
Sroczinski held the Continentals at bay for one more inning before giving way to Cooke who held Hamilton off the board off the rest of the way.
 
The Engineers return to action on Friday, April 21 at 2:30 p.m. when they return to Troy to take on Ithaca in league play.