TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team swept a non-league doubleheader against Hamilton today at Robison Field, earning a 5-0 shutout in the opener before completing the day with a 10-5 victory in game two.  

RPI's pitching staff combined on a three-hit shutout, while the Engineers manufactured runs in the third and fifth to take the opener. 

After four scoreless innings, RPI broke through in the bottom of the third. Gaby Heim singled and Sydney Speanburg drew a walk to set the table, and after Evann McDowell moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt, Callista Adorno delivered a two-run, ground-rule double to put RPI in front, 2-0. 

The Engineers added three more in the fifth. Speanburg singled and scored on McDowell's RBI double, and after Adorno reached and later swiped a bag, RPI brought home two more on back-to-back sacrifice flies from Addison Shaffer and Maddy Brooks to extend the lead to 5-0. 

Speanburg reached base three times (single, two walks) and scored twice, while McDowell went 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Adorno added the two-RBI double, and Heim finished 1-for-3 with a run. 

Callie Volker earned the win with 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Maggie Kreis worked 2.0 shutout innings, and Meghan Brown struck out the side in the seventh to finish it off. 

RPI exploded for eight runs in the first two innings and had enough offense to hold off Hamilton's late push, as Addison Shaffer's grand slam highlighted a big early inning. 

RPI opened the scoring right away in the first. Speanburg doubled to right-center and eventually came around as Adorno laid down an RBI bunt single, and McDowell scored soon after to make it 2-0. Maddy Brooks followed with an RBI single, and an error added another run as the Engineers took a 3-0 lead. 

The Engineers broke it open in the second. Ryleigh Falvey doubled and later scored and McDowell drove in a run on a bunt play to make it 4-0. With the bases loaded moments later, Shaffer crushed a grand slam to left to cap a five-run inning and push the lead to 8-0. 

Hamilton scratched back with four runs in the fifth on a string of singles, but RPI answered immediately in the bottom half. Lauren Cosselman doubled and Falvey tripled to right-center to bring home two and restore breathing room at 10-4. Hamilton added a run in the seventh, but the Engineers closed out the win. 

Adorno powered the lineup by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while McDowell scored twice and drove in a run. Shaffer provided the biggest swing with her grand slam and finished with four RBI, and Brooks went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Falvey added a double and a triple and drove in two.

RPI returns to Liberty League play at home against St. Lawrence at 1:00 pm on Saturday.