The Utica College softball team lost two games by a combined three runs against visiting University of Rochester on Wednesday afternoon at Greenman Field. The Pioneers lost game one 3-1 before falling 5-4 in eight innings in the night cap. Junior center fielder Kim Martin (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) went 5-for-6 with one run scored over the course of two games, while freshman short stop Jackie Gallagher went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored.

The Pioneers have now lost four in a row and dropped to 10-22 overall. U of R – which advanced as far as the NCAA Division III Tournament last season – improved to 20-13 on the year.

Game One – U of Rochester 3, Utica 1 - Box Score

Junior hurler Madison Dinsmore went six full innings and allowed just five hits but the Pioneers left five runners on base and could only must one run as they lost game one by two runs.

Utica jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the third inning when senior second baseman Angel Donaghue ripped a double to kick start the inning. Martin followed with a single to advance Donaghue and Gallagher completed the rally with an RBI double to the left side to give Utica the one run advantage.

The Yellow Jackets answered with a combined three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to earn a 3-1 lead. Grimes got the rally going for U of R in the top of the fifth when she doubled to right center and advanced on a sacrifice. Wagner added a single through the right side to score Grimes and knot the contest at 1-1.

Two towering home runs in the sixth inning by Macaluso and Lee DiSalvio proved to be the game-winners for the Yellow Jackets. Hutchinson held Utica to just five hits and one run while striking out nine in the complete game victory.

Game Two – U of Rochester 5, Utica 4 – 8 Innings - Box Score

Five costly errors led to the Pioneers demise in game two after another stellar pitching performance from Haley Butler resulted in a 5-4 extra inning loss. Martin was a perfect 3-for-3 with one run scored in the second half of the twin bill, while Gallagher went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Pioneers mounted a serious rally in the bottom of the sixth when Gallagher's two-RBI triple cut the U of R lead to 4-2. Freshman Bridgette Plummer added a sacrifice fly and Hannah Barton followed with a solo home run to left field to knot the score at 4-4 before extra innings.

An RBI single in the eighth gave the Yellow Jackets a 5-4 lead and the Pioneers threatened in the bottom half of the extra frame but a costly double play ended the UC comeback.

Utica returns to the diamond on Saturday when it travels to Empire 8 Conference rival Ithaca College for a double header. The contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

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