SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University softball team completed a perfect opening weekend with a sweep of the 18th-ranked Rochester Yellowjackets, 8-3 and 7-2, in a doubleheader on Sunday at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME ONE

• Abby Mace started the day with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning and a prompt steal of second. Sam Flowers then drove her in with a single up the middle.
• Meghan Reed kept things moving with a bunt single before finding herself in a pickle, during which Flowers found home due to a Yellowjacket fielding error that placed Reed on second.
• After drawing a one-out walk, Emily Stockman reached second when Rochester pitcher Lauren Keys threw a wild pitch to put her and Reed in scoring position.
• Capitalizing on the chance, Carrie Jacoby rocked a single up the middle to make it a 4-0 game for the Sea Gulls.
• Jacoby notched her third RBI of the game in the bottom of the third with another single up the middle, plating Natalie Paoli to make it 5-0.
• Salisbury took advantage of a Rochester error in the fourth for two more runs, one by Jillian Dawson on an error at short and another by Mace, who was hit by a pitch during her at-bat and came home on a fielder's choice by Reed that made it 7-0.
• The Yellowjackets answered with three in the top of the sixth. Hannah Keiper blasted a two-run homer, and Marie Kinchington followed with a shot of her own to get UR within 6-3.
• SU responded in the home sixth as Taylor Scott laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to drive in Dawson for a bit of insurance to make it 8-3.

 
SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME ONE

• Meghan Reed finished 3-for-4 with a double, run, and RBI to lead the Sea Gull bats.
• Carrie Jacoby went 2-for-3 with three rib-eyes.
• Natalie Paoli batted 3-for-4 with a run scored.
• Isabella Purdy (1-0) picked up her first win of the season by going four strong innings with no runs allowed and two hits with five strikeouts.
• Sydney Adolfson finished the final three innings in her first appearance of the season.
• A pest on the basepaths, Salisbury stole six bases, led by two each from Jillian Dawson and Abby Mace. On the other side of the ball, Emily Stockman threw out both Yellowjackets attempting to steal.

 
ROCHESTER GAME NOTES – GAME ONE

• Hannah Keiper led the Yellowjacket offense with two hits, one a home run, and two RBIs.
• Marie Kichington notched a solo home run during her pinch-hit appearance in the sixth.
• Lauren Keys (0-1) took the loss after giving up four runs in just a third of an inning.
• Reliever Maddie White turned in 3.2 innings of work with one earned run allowed against.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME TWO

• Abby Mace once again found herself on first to start the second meeting of the day, this time on a hard-hit single to short. After stealing second and taking third on a Meghan Reed single, Mace scored ahead of the out on a Carrie Jacoby fielder's choice to make it 1-0 in the first inning.
• In the second, pinch-runners Anna Hopkins and McKenna Horner found themselves in scoring position in place of Emily Stockman and Karlie Wolfe, both of whom singled. Continuing her pace at the plate, Mace slugged a two-run triple to right center, then Sam Flowers brought her home on a single to make it 4-0.
• The Sea Gulls prevented a Rochester run from scoring and escaped a jam in the third. With the bases loaded and no out, pitcher Nicole Ortega scooped up a grounder and fired home for the force, and Stockman followed with an on-point throw to first, which was covered by Reed from second, for a 1-2-4 double play to get out of the jam.
• Rochester showed life in the fifth when Molly Mason led off with a double and eventually came home on back-to-back groundouts, making it 4-1.
• SU padded the lead in the sixth. After a one-out single from Jillian Dawson, Mace continued stuffing the stat sheet with a one-out double. Flowers quickly drove in Mace with a single in the next at-bat, then Reed doubled Flowers home to make it 7-1.
• Rochester sparked a two-out rally in the seventh, pushing one run across and putting two more in scoring position, but reliever Madison Taylor came through with a strikeout to end the game with a 7-2 margin.

 
SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME TWO

• Abby Mace continued her torrid weekend by going 3-for-3 with a double, triple, three runs, three RBIs, and a stolen base.
• Sam Flowers finished 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, while Meghan Reed went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, and steal.
• Nicole Ortega (2-0) earned her second win of the weekend by scattering one run on five hits over six innings. Ortega walked one and struck out two.
• Madison Taylor pitched the final inning of the afternoon and gave up just one run.
• The Sea Gulls smacked a season-high 14 hits for the game.

 
ROCHESTER GAME NOTES – GAME TWO

• Riley Laygo had three hits, including a double, to lead the Yellowjackets.
• Bailey Nicholoff picked up two RBIs from the leadoff position for Rochester.
• Molly Broccolo (0-2) lasted 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on 12 hits while striking out four.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury stays home heading into the second week of the season, hosting a pair of tri-matches against Clarkson and Rowan next Saturday and Sunday.
• The Sea Gulls will face Clarkson at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday followed by Rowan at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday SU will battle Clarkson at 12:30 p.m. and Rowan at 2:30 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.