“You can’t do anything about the weather,” commented Lewis. “My guess is that the games will be rescheduled, but there’s no date yet.” Since these were league games, the matches will need to be played to determine the conference champion. In the event that the league is clinched without the RPI/Rochester games being played, then the schools will likely call off the contests.

Monday’s doubleheader followed the Red Hawks’ patented blueprint. Freshman and senior aces Michelle Street and Amy Huling were stellar on the mound, and first-year slugger Julianne Bass’ bat did some serious damage at the plate.

In the opener, Street picked up her 12th win of the season in arguably her most dominating performance. The East Syracuse, N.Y., native pitched a complete game shutout, striking out four and allowing no walks. Only a meaningless fourth-inning single by RIT first baseman Caitlin Krumm stood between Street and a perfect game.

RPI started the scoring in the second inning. After sophomore Courtney Sweeney reached base on an error by Tiger pitcher Mary Keegan, classmate Ann Cosgrove knocked a double down the left-field line bringing Sweeney home.

The Red Hawks would add another run in the third, two more in the fifth, and a final run in the seventh to pad the lead. Bass would pace the Rensselaer hitters, going four-for-four with two doubles and an RBI.

“She was real focused,” praised Lewis of Bass. “There’s not much to say, she was just ‘on’ today.”

In the nightcap, RIT pitcher Amanda Morehouse could not find Bass’ off switch. The Costa Mesa, Calif., native was a triple short of the cycle in game two as she went three-for-four with three RBIs. Bass’ two-run homer in the seventh upped her season total to six, tying her with teammate freshman Sara Finkbeiner for not only first on the team, but also first in the Liberty League.

Bass wasn’t the only Red Hawk batter to get to Morehouse. Senior leadoff hitter Stephanie Vanek went three-for-four with two RBIs. She also scored the first run of the game—the only one RPI would need—after reaching on a bunt and advancing on a wild pitch, before coming home on an RIT fielding error.

Huling upped her record to 11-2 with a stellar complete game shutout of her own. Coming off a shaky showing against Manhattanville last week, the senior captain struck out seven while scattering three hits and a walk. She also helped her own cause at the plate, going two-for-four with two runs scored.

“Our pitchers were huge for us and our hitters did great,” said Lewis. “We’re going to look to build off that going into this weekend.”

With the wins, RPI now stands at 27-3 with a perfect 2-0 league mark. That mark will be tested this weekend as the Red Hawks welcome Union and Skidmore to Doris Robison Field on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The Union games will be of particular interest, as RPI effectively lost the league crown last year after being swept by the rival Dutchwomen. Lewis, however, is trying to downplay the match-up. “We’re a whole different team this year … We want to bring the same enthusiasm and the same focus no matter who we’re playing,” she remarked. “We’re just going to do what we do.”

The colossal match-up between the third and fourth-ranked teams in the Northeast Region should be a good one. Both squads rank first and second in the league in both team batting average and team earned run average. Union tops the batting average list, while RPI owns the edge in ERA.

Individually, four of the top five players in terms of batting average in the league are Dutchwomen, with only Bass cracking the list. On the mound, however, Street and Huling trump Union’s duo of Abby Arceneaux and Jackie Coffey in nearly every category.