SALISBURY. Md. – Lauren Meyers proved to be the walk-off hero as the eighth-ranked Salisbury University softball team pushed its season-opening winning streak to eight games with a doubleheader sweep of the ninth-ranked Rochester Yellowjackets on Saturday. Salisbury run-ruled Rochester, 12-1, in the opener before the come-from-behind 5-4 victory in the nightcap.

BOX SCORE – GAME 1
BOX SCORE – GAME 2

HIGHLIGHTS

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• Salisbury got the long ball going early in the opener. In the second inning, Lindsey Windsor launched a three-run home run to right field to get Salisbury on the board, 3-0. Natalie Paoli followed with a solo home run over the left-field fence. Three batters later, Carrie Jacoby smacked a two-run homer to left to put Salisbury up 6-0 in the second inning.
• The Sea Gulls tacked on four more runs in the third inning. Kat Nashold and Francesca Cuttitta opened the scoring in the inning when each scored on throwing errors. Windsor came home on the next at-bat on a groundout by Paoli before Jacoby plated Jillian Dawson with a single to left to push the lead to 10-0 in the third.
• Maddison Lednum provided extra cushion for Salisbury in the bottom of the fourth when she roped a single to left field that scored Dawson and Paoli to extend the lead to 12-0.
• Rochester cut the lead to 12-1 when Bailey Nicholoff hit a solo home run to center field but Salisbury sealed the run-rule in the fifth inning.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME 1

• Salisbury tallied a season-high 15 hits in the contest. The 1-4 and the No. 9 spots in the lineup accounted for 12 of the 15 hits in the game.
• Lindsey Windsor (W, 3-0) recorded the win and went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.
• Jillian Dawson and Maddison Lednum each went 3-for-4 in the win. Dawson scored twice while Lednum drove in a pair of runs.
• Natalie Paoli and Carrie Jacoby also went yard in the opener and tallied two hits apiece. Jacoby notched three RBIs while Paoli plated two runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Rochester got out the gates hot when Bryce West doubled to left-center to score two runs to give the Yellowjackets the early 2-0 lead in the first inning.
• Nicholoff hit her second home run of the day in the third inning with a solo shot to left field.
• Rochester extended its lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning with a Madi Turner sacrifice fly,
• Salisbury finally got the offense going in the bottom of the sixth inning and tied the game at four, all with two outs. Windsor drew a bases-loaded walk to score Carly Galbraith for the first run of the game for SU. A batter later, Paoli cleared the bases with a triple to right-center to knot the game at four.
• The comeback was complete in the bottom half of the seventh inning. Lauren Meyers drove hit Lednum from second base on a double to center to allow Salisbury to walk off winners.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME 2

• Savannah Sheats (W, 3-0) came in relief of Nicole Ortega in the third inning. Sheats struck out eight in five innings of relief and scattered five hits, two walks and a run.
• Lauren Meyers doubled twice, including the walk-off winner in the seventh inning.
• Natalie Paoli drove in three runs in the victory.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury concludes the season series with Rochester on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• The doubleheader is set to begin at 11 a.m.