ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Skidmore College softball team will continue its search for its first ever conference title when it opens play at the Liberty League tournament against host Rochester on Friday.
 
Liberty League Tournament – April 30 – May 2
Tournament Links: Live Stats | Tournament Home Page
 
Skidmore is making its second consecutive appearance in the Liberty League tournament for the first time in program history. The Thoroughbreds (14-18, 5-7 Liberty League) earned the postseason berth with a sweep of Clarkson on Saturday.
 
Skidmore has played close games against all three teams in the tournament, five of six games have been decided by one run- evenly matched teams.
 
Dani DeGregory is batting .432 against conference opponents with a .705 slugging percentage. She leads the team with 42 hits, nine doubles, five triples and ranks second with 18 RBI and ranks third in the league with 13 stolen bases.
 
Lauren Fortunato leads the team with 25 RBI and four home runs and sits sixth in the conference with 11 stolen bases. She is batting .500 (7-14) over the last four league games with a double, a home run and four RBI. Freshman Lizette-Roman Johnston has been a major contributor, ranking tied for second on the team with 22 runs scored and third with 38 hits and a .342 batting average.
 
Freshman infielder Casey Attonito has hit her stride down the stretch, batting over .546 (12-22) with eight RBI over the last six Liberty League contests. She delivered a walk-off home run in the Thoroughbreds dramatic 10-9 come-from-behind win over Rochester, capping a seven-run seventh. She is batting .410 against league opponents and is currently on a seven-game hitting streak.
 
Freshman Amanda Carilli has logged 145.2 innings on the mound, posting a 3.12 ERA, including a 2.88 mark against Liberty League opponents.
 
Skidmore leads the Liberty League with 57 stolen bases and is tied for first with 13 triples, while ranking second in hits (262), doubles (43) and total bases (364).
 

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SCOUTING THE FIELD:
 
#1 ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS (24-11, 10-2): Rochester won its third straight and seventh overall Liberty League regular season title with a sweep of St. Lawrence over the weekend.
 
The Yellowjackets feature one of the most powerful lineups in the country. They rank seventh of 410 Division III schools in home runs per game (1.16) and 17^th  in slugging percentage (.537). Brittney Grage has led the way contributing 14 home runs and 54 RBI, which place her third and sixth in the country, respectively.
 
Last 10 Games: 6-4
Last Meeting: April 19, 2015 at Skidmore
Skidmore 10, Rochester 9
Skidmore 6, Rochester 7

TEAM STATS (League Ranking)
BATTING
Team Batting Average: .331 (1)
Slugging Pct.: .537 (1)
On Base Pct: .394 (1)
Runs Scored: 214 (1)
Hits: 306 (1)
RBI: 191 (1)
Doubles: 56 (1)
Triples: 12 (3)
Home Runs: 37 (1)
Total Bases: 497 (1)
Pitching
ERA: 2.90 (2)
Strikeouts: 181 (4)
Hits allowed: 200 (3)
Opponent Batting Average: .230 (2)
Earned Runs Allowed: 92 (3)
Walks Allowed: 80 (7)
 

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#2 RPI ENGINEERS (19-13, 8-4): RPI clinched the second seed in the conference tournament with a sweep of Clarkson. The Engineers have relied on steady pitching this season. They have a league-best 2.35 team ERA and have limited opponents to a .212 batting average. They have also recorded a conference-high 205 strikeouts.
 
Stephanie Caudle leads the league with a 1.81 ERA, while Kristina Weltzin is first in the conference in opponent batting average (.182) and 18th in Division III in hits allowed per seven inning (4.45).
 
Last 10 Games: 5-5
Last Meeting: April 3, 2015 at RPI
Skidmore 1, RPI 2
Skidmore 3, RPI 4

TEAM STATS (League Ranking)
BATTING
Team Batting Average: .267 (5)
Slugging Pct.: .359 (4)
On Base Pct: .335 (4)
Runs Scored: 134 (4)
Hits: 231(4)
RBI: 113 (4)
Doubles: 40 (4)
Triples: 2 (6)
Home Runs: 12 (2)
Total Bases: 311 (4)
Pitching
ERA: 2.35 (1)
Strikeouts: 205 (1)
Hits allowed: 176 (1)
Opponent Batting Average: .212 (1)
Earned Runs Allowed: 74 (1)
Walks Allowed: 70 (5)
 

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#3 UNION DUTCHWOMEN (13-18, 7-5): Union swept Skidmore in its final series of the season to lock up the three seed in the Liberty League tournament.
 
Allyson Staats leads the team with a .376 batting average. She has also pitched a leaugue-high 176 innings, posting a 2.44 ERA. Camille Corbin is second in the league with 26 RBI, fourth with a .634 slugging percentage and tied for fourth with eight doubles.
 
Last 10 Games: 5-5
Last Meeting: April 26, 2015 at Skidmore
Skidmore 6, Union 7
Skidmore 3, Union 7

TEAM STATS (League Ranking)
BATTING
Team Batting Average: .248 (6)
Slugging Pct.: .320 (6)
On Base Pct: .313 (6)
Runs Scored: 104 (5)
Hits: 202 (5)
RBI: 91 (5)
Doubles: 27 (6)
Triples: 1(7)
Home Runs: 10 (4)
Total Bases: 311 (4)
Pitching
ERA: 3.71 (5)
Strikeouts: 132 (6)
Hits allowed: 266 (6)
Opponent Batting Average: .309 (6)
Earned Runs Allowed: 108 (5)
Walks Allowed: 57 (4)
 

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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Double Elimination Format
Thursday, April 30
Game 1                2 pm                    Rochester vs. Skidmore  
Game 2                4:30 pm               RPI vs. Union  
 
Friday, May 1
Game 3                10 am                 Winner game 1 vs winner game 2  
Game 4                12:30 pm            Loser game 1 vs. loser game 2   (loser eliminated)
Game 5                3 pm                   Loser game 3 vs winner game 4  (loser eliminated)
 
Saturday, May 2
Game 6                10 am                 Winner game 3 vs. winner game 5  
Game 7 (if needed)                         Same two teams as game 6