Posted by Julia Schwartz & Isaac Baker The Skidmore softball team cleaned up this week with four wins in two double-headers. Last Sunday, April 3, the Thoroughbreds traveled to Utica College where they pulled out two wins in two closely contested games. Skidmore came back from a formidable deficit to win the first game, and scraped its way back on top in the second game, giving it two big wins against Utica.
In the first game, the Thoroughbreds were down six runs in the seventh inning. But after many quiet innings, Skidmore's bats lit up, as the team drove in seven runs to win the game with a final score of 9-8.
The Thoroughbreds sprang out in the second game with the momentum gained from the first win, working their way up to a 4-1 lead by the third inning. The Pioneers closed the gap in the bottom of the fifth inning with a pair of runs, bringing the score to 4-3. The following inning, Utica brought in another run to tie the game. After a standstill in the seventh inning, both teams returned to the field for extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Skidmore proved more successful with seven runs to Utica's three that they put on the board in the bottom of the eighth, finalizing the score at 11-7.
Between the two games, Julia Schwartz '13 had two home runs; teammates Charlotte Evans ‘11, Caiti Ketcham ‘11, Katie Sorochka ‘14 and Christina Gargiso '12 each finished with one homer for the day. Gargiso also went 4-4 in the first of the two games.
Three days later on Wednesday April 6, Skidmore played another double-header against Sage. Skidmore won the first by a significant margin, winning the game 8-1. Charlotte Evans '11 was 2-4 with a two run double, Caitlin Ketchem '11 went 1-2 with two RBIs and Christina Hein '11 went 2-3 with a pair of runs scored.
The following game, first-year Sorochka threw a no hitter, allowing just three walks and one hit batter. The Thoroughbreds shutout Sage 5-0, and headed back to Saratoga with their fifth straight win under their belts. Hein went 2-3 with a solo home run, while Schwartz went 1-4 with a two run double.
Skidmore heads to Middlebury April 1, hoping to continue its streak.
Baseball
The Thoroughbreds home field advantage was not enough to bring them luck against their double-header April 2 against Vassar. The Thoroughbreds fell short at the end of both games, losing with the final at bats in both games.
Zack Rudman '12 took the lost in the first games, throwing the full nine innings to no avail. Matty Tatkow '13 lead the Thoroughbreds effort up at bat, but was unable to punch enough through to the gaps to bring them a win.
Skidmore called upon Bobby Stafutti '13 in the second game when the game went into extra innings to continue the efforts of Trevor Brucato '11 on the mound, allowing two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
Stafutti received the loss after the Brewers were able to pull through in the bottom of the 11th inning. Rob Rubenstein led Skidmore's offense in the second game, going 3-5 at the plate with an RBI.
The Thoroughbreds returned to the field the next day for two more games against the Brewers, this time losing the first game 8-3 and coming back at the end of the four game series with a score of 6-1.
Nick Laracuente '11 and Rubenstein received Co-Pitchers of the Week and Co-Performers of the Week for their efforts in their competitions against Vassar. Laracuente improved his throwing record to 4-0 with his win against Vassar, giving up one walk and striking out nine, which also lowered his ERA to 0.60 on the season so far. Rubenstein went 11-19 against the Brewers with eight RBI and a .780 slugging percentage.
Men's lacrosse
Men's lacrosse continued its success ranked at No. 19 on April 2 with a win against league rival, St. Lawrence 16-10. The Thoroughbreds had 46 shots on goal, 16 higher than that of St. Lawrence.
Skidmore secured the advantage early in the game with a 6-2 advantage at the end of the first period. Despite the Saints' attempt at vengeance beginning in the second half, Ben Cornell '11, Jon Hoeg '13, and Sam Lawfer '13 all put points on the board for the Thoroughbreds.
After half time, Skidmore returned to the field and pushed out the score 13-7, securing the win with a large enough advantage to finish out to the final second.
Major contributors to the Thoroughbreds' success were Mike Holden' 13, who had a game-high of five goals, as well as Cornell, Bryan Connolly '13, Matt Levesque '11 and Mike Perlow '13, all with two goals. Connor Dowling '12 protected the net for the Thoroughbreds with assistance from Ryan Paradis '12, who had a game-high of eight ground balls.
With The Thoroughbred's success came the elevation of their ranking in USILA Coaches Poll to No. 13. They have now won six straight games and have an 8-1 overall record and are 2-0 in league play.
Holden and Jacque Ward '11 received Liberty League Co-Performer of the Week and Co-Defensive Performer of the Week, respectively, for their contributions in their game against St. Lawrence. Skidmore returns to the field at home on April 12 to compete against Middlebury.
Women's lacrosse
Skidmore lacrosse started off the week with a tough loss against RPI in overtime, with a final score of 12-11. Despite the close loss, the team came together and fought back hard the next day against Vassar.
The Thoroughbreds were able to glide by and win with a final score of 17-8. Contributions to the score came from six different people throughout the game, allowing the Brewers to be kept off guard at all times. Lauren Madden '12 had a game-high of four goals, while Lindsay Stavola '11 finished the game with three goals and five assists. Lauren McCarthy '11 and Lexi Melville '13 also provided stability for the team, with three goals apiece. After Skidmore's outstanding performance against Vassar, Stavola earned Co-Offensive Performer of the Week for the third time this season.
The excitement earned from their huge win against Vassar did not carry over to the next game, as Skidmore fell to Union 12-3 on the road. The loss brings the team's record to 1-2 in league play. Stavola scored a goal, as did Kimbery Segalas '11 and Ali Frey '12, but those goals were not enough to create the momentum they needed to win over the Dutchwomen.
Skidmore continues road play April 8 and 9 at Clarkson and St. Lawrence, respectively.
Women's tennis
The Thoroughbreds rallied back and forth attempting to win close competitions April 2 and April 3, but fell short at the end, terminating both match ups with a score of 5-4. Melissa Hirsch '14 stood out for the Thoroughbreds, despite the two losses, earning Liberty League Rookie of the Week. She was 2-0 at No. 2 singles and 1-1 playing doubles with teammate Molly Nolan '14, with an 8-4 win against Wellesley and a close 9-7 loss against TCNJ. The women's tennis team plays next at home April 16 against Williams.