Behind the arm of Shannon Smith and clutch hitting from all parts of the lineup, the softball team won six out of its eight games this past week.
Last Wednesday, the Red Hawks faced off against St. Rose in a home doubleheader. Smith allowed only four hits and a single, unearned run in game one as RPI eked out a 2-1 win. A botched St. Rose double play in the fourth inning of this game left two runners on base instead of none, setting the stage for Jaci DeCicco and Marissa Crisfasi to drive in all the runs the Red Hawks needed.
In game two, it was the Red Hawks who scored first, aided by a pair of wild pitches by Golden Knight Debbie MacDougall. St. Rose retaliated with a five-spot in the second inning, aided by several defensive miscues. Rensselaer managed only five scattered hits and lost 5-2.
RPI next kicked off its UCAA schedule on Saturday with two games against Union. The Dutchwomen touched up Smith for a single run in the third inning, but RPI immediately came back on a two-run double by catcher Leanna Smith, who went three-for-three in the game. Rensselaer added three insurance runs in the sixth on a double by Sarah Jurta, a double by Shannon Smith, a triple by Liz Vitaliano, and a single by Laura Feeney, all to about the same spot in right-center field and all with two outs.
The Red Hawks completed a sweep of Union with a huge 8-6 comeback victory. The Dutchwomen lit up freshman Ali O’Connor for five runs in just over two innings of work. RPI Head Coach Erika Lewis brought Shannon Smith back in to stop the bleeding, but the Red Hawks were already down 5-2. Rensselaer got one back in the fifth when Leanna Smith scored on a passed ball with two outs, but it was in the sixth inning that RPI came up big.
Jurta (four-for-five on the day) and Vitaliano each singled, and Feeney worked a walk after a long at-bat to load the bases with one out. Team captain Stacy Eisenmann stepped up to the plate and blasted the first pitch for a base-clearing triple, later scoring on Leanna Smith’s sacrifice fly.
After the game, Eisenmann said that the Union pitcher, Randi Maurer, was trying to sneak a quick strike by on the first pitch.
“I don’t usually let them get away with that,” she quipped.
Union made some trouble in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs and scoring a run, but Shannon Smith induced the last batter to pop up, securing the win.
The Skidmore Thoroughbreds came to campus on Sunday, and the Red Hawks provided a cold welcome, shutting them out 3-0 in the first game and 2-0 in the next.
Shannon Smith pitched the entirety of both games, allowing a total of seven hits and zero walks while striking out seven.
The Red Hawks scattered 17 hits throughout the two games, and the scores could have been much higher—three RPI runners were thrown out at the plate, all on very close plays. Leanna Smith went a combined four-for-six on the day, and Megan Porter reached base five times in six tries, driving in both runs of game two.
Tuesday, Rensselaer travelled to Hartwick and split a doubleheader, extending their winning streak to five games with a 10-3 victory before falling to the Hawks in the second game by a 5-2 margin.
Danielle Haberman started game one and gave up three runs in four and one-third innings. Shannon Smith came on to get her out of a jam and finished out the game without allowing a run. The Red Hawks exploded for six runs in the final inning to cement their win.
Leanna Smith was a combined six-for-eight on the day, and Vitaliano added four hits in eight at-bats.
The Red Hawks host St. Lawrence for a noon doubleheader on Sunday, and they play two games at Russell Sage Tuesday at 3 pm.
