Marleigh Monroe tied her career high with nine strikeouts in game one, but the St. Lawrence University softball team fell 6-0 and 8-0 to Rochester, taking their first two setbacks of conference play on Sunday.
Rochester pulls out of tie with St. Lawrence for first place in the Liberty League with the doubleheader sweep of the Saints. It moves St. Lawrence's conference record to 4-2, and their overall record to 9-9. Rochester is 6-0 in-conference.
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Game 1: St. Lawrence 0, Rochester 6
After a three-up, three-down top of the first for St. Lawrence, Rochester didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard, getting to Saints starter
Marleigh Monroe in the bottom of the first inning before she could settle in. After a bunt single and a stolen base for the game's leadoff hitter, Riley Laygo drove her in with an RBI single to make it 1-0.
St. Lawrence gave themselves an opportunity to tie the game in the top of the second. They found themselves with a runner on first and two outs, until Monroe drove a ball to center and put runners on the corners. She then stole second putting two in scoring position, but a swinging strikeout ended the threat and kept Rochester's lead in tact.
Rochester then opened up a two-run lead on a Savanna Hernandez RBI single in the second. The Saints tried to muster another response, in what would ultimately be their last good offensive opportunity of the game. St. Lawrence got a leadoff baserunner after
Emily Wendt reached on a throwing error by the right fielder playing on the left side of the infield. Later in the inning they had two runners on base but a strikeout from pitcher Molly Broccolo ended the threat once more.
Hernandez then homered her next at-bat to bring the score to 3-0. A three-run sixth inning by the host Yellowjackets led them to the victory, as relief pitcher Maddie White came in relief of Broccolo and locked down the shutout of the Saints. Â
In addition to her career-high nine K's, Monroe allowed six runs on 11 hits, with three walks. She threw 117 pitches in the loss. Monroe was also the only Saints player with more than one hit in the contest – she went 2-for-3.
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Game 2: St. Lawrence 0, Rochester 8 (5 Inn.)
With the score at 2-0 Yellowjackets in the bottom of the second, Yellowjackets broke the game open with five runs. With two outs and Savanna Hernandez on second after a stolen base, Riley Laygo singled to center to make it 3-0. Sminchak then singled and stole second before Lyons crushed a three-run home run to left to extend the lead to 6-0. Kinchington immediately followed with a solo shot to make it 7-0.
Rochester tacked on one more in the third when Katelyn Wade led off with a double to center, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a Hernandez single to right. St. Lawrence mounted its best threat in the fifth, putting runners on second and third with one out after singles from
Emily Wendt and
Maeve Thompson, but
Allison Kloft flied out to strand them both.
Broccolo was dominant throughout, finishing with five strikeouts and no walks on just three hits allowed. Thompson went 3-for-3 to lead St. Lawrence at the plate.
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Up Next:
Eighteen games into the 2026 season, St. Lawrence finally has a home game coming up this week. They open their 2026 home season with a game against Plattsburgh State.
