Softball Sweeps Ithaca to Clinch Regular-Season Crown

University of Rochester softball wrapped up the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of the Ithaca College Bombers to finish atop the Liberty League regular-season standings and clinch the top seed and hosting rights for next week's Liberty League Softball Championship on Saturday at Southside Field. Needing just one win to clinch the regular-season title, Rochester shut out the Bombers in game one, 7-0, and then topped Ithaca again in game two, 6-1. With the sweep, the Yellowjackets wrap up the regular season at 31-7 (13-1 LL) on the year, while the Bombers fall to 21-10 (10-4 LL).

Game 1: Rochester 7, Ithaca 0

With one swing of the bat,

Riley Laygo would give the 'Jackets the lead in game one, launching a solo home run to dead center in her first at-bat against Mady Rowell in the bottom of the first.

Ithaca looked to respond against

Molly Broccolo in the next frame, but the Yellowjacket senior would stand a pair, two of four runners Broccolo left on base over 4.2 frames. With Elise Waddington on third and Sydney Miranda on second after Miranda's two-out double, Broccolo got Jessie Lopez to strike out on just three pitches, sending the Yellowjackets to the plate.

Rowell would match Broccolo in the bottom of the inning, however, working out of a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run.

Both the 'Jackets and Bombers would again leave baserunners on in the third, while Broccolo worked a quick frame in the fourth, getting Cate Murray out trying to steal second, before a ground out and fly out ended the Bombers' top of the fourth.

In the bottom of the frame, two walks, a stolen base and a throwing error gave Rochester runners at the corners with nobody out, but Rowell again escaped without allowing a run.

Miranda then led off the top of the fifth with a single and advanced to third on Lopez's sacrifice bunt and Schoeneberger's groundout. And with the game-tying run just 60 feet away, Rochester made a call to the bullpen, bringing in

Maddie White for Broccolo. The call would pay dividends right away, as White struck out Anna Bello on just three pitches and would set down all seven Bombers she faced.

Rochester pushed another run across in the bottom of the fifth on

Julianna Lyons' RBI single, scoring Laygo after the junior reached on a fielding error, before the Yellowjackets would break through with a five-run sixth.

The 'Jackets loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth on

Marie Kinchington's walk, Ilana Wiess' hit-by-pitch and a bloop single by

Madi Paige, bringing

Ally Kim to the plate. Kim singled to left to bring home Kinchington and make it 3-0, while after a Bomber pitching change, Laygo smoked the first pitch she saw to right, bringing home to more to extend Rochester's lead to 5-0.

A batter later, Lyons' walk reloaded the bases for

Jensen Sminchak, who poked a single up the middle to score two more and give the Yellowjackets a 7-0 advantage.

That'd be all White needed to finish things off in the circle, as a senior struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 seventh, nailing down the save and closing out the shutout victory for the 'Jackets.

Broccolo (17-4) earned the win for Rochester, holding the Bombers to just five hits and one walk while striking out three over 4.2 innings pitched, while White (4) notched the save, striking out five over 2.1 innings pitched.

For Ithaca, Rowell (9-2) took the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits, walking three and striking out three over 5.0 innings pitched.

Laygo went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI to lead Rochester at the plate, while Sminchak went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Game 2: Rochester 6, Ithaca 1

Game two would feature some déjà vu, as after White pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first, Laygo would blast another solo shot, this time to right, in the bottom of the first to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.

The Bombers, though, would come back to tie the score in the top of the second. Cate Murray drew a one-out walk, and a batter later, came around to score on Isabella Maynard's RBI double, leveling the score at one-all. Miranda followed with an infield single to short, but White got Lopez to ground out to keep the score tied.

The score wouldn't stay tied for long, though, as an inning later, Laygo launched her third home run of the day, leading off the bottom of the third with a solo blast off the scoreboard in right to make it a 2-1 URochester advantage.

White settled down after the second and worked 1-2-3 frames in the third and fourth, before the 'Jackets opened a five-run lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Chloe Fitzgerald got Rochester's offense going with a single to right, and after

Maithili Shah and Laygo drew four-pitch walks,

Rowan Mulholland launched Maddie Collins' 2-1 pitch for a grand-slam home run over the left-center-field fence to give Rochester a 6-1 lead.

Saira Ramakrishnan relieved White to start the fifth and cruised through the frame, and though the first-year ran into some trouble in the sixth, Ramakrishnan got Murray to ground into a fielder's choice to end the Bombers' threat and strand a pair.

The first-year then worked around a two-out single in the top of the seventh to close out the doubleheader sweep, earning a save with her three innings of work to help give Rochester the 6-1 victory.

White (11-3) earned the win, allowing one run on two hits, walking one and striking out two over 4.0 innings pitched. Ramakrishnan (1) picked up the save, allowing three hits and striking out two over 3.0 innings pitched.

Collins (5-6) took the loss for Ithaca, allowing six runs on six hits, walking four and striking out two over 3.2 innings pitched.

Laygo capped off an impressive day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two home runs, two walks, three runs scored and two RBI, while Mulholland went 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, run scored and four RBI.

The Yellowjackets will next host the 2026 Liberty League Softball Tournament, beginning on Thursday, May 7, at Southside Field.