LOCATION: Sortino Field - Amherst, Mass.
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes combined great pitching and strong batting to lead to a doubleheader sweep over the Minutewomen, Wednesday afternoon.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 11-6, 0-0 America East | UMass 7-21, 3-3 Atlantic 10
 
GAME ONE
 
SCORE: UAlbany 3, UMass 0
 
KEY STATS

• Three different Great Danes contributed with an RBI each - senior Jordan Nastos, sophomore Sara Anderson, and sophomore Deanna Grahek.
• Grahek joined freshman Mary Kate Murray and graduate student Maddi Petrella to total the Great Danes' three multi-base hits (one double each).
• Petrella and Murray led with two hits each - one double and one single.
• Graduate student pitcher Wendi Hammond struck out six batters in the complete-game shutout.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first inning, the Great Danes tallied two runs in the second.
• Mary Kate Murray hit the first single of the game to get base but it was Jordan Nastos making it around the bases for the first run and an RBI for Sara Anderson.
• Grahek followed with her double for the second UAlbany run.
• The Great Danes put three on base in the fourth but were unable to take advantage of the baserunners.
• Murray hit a double to right center to get on base in the top of the fifth. 
• Four pitches later, Nastos hit a single past the first baseman to send Murray home for the third, and final, run.
• Overall, the Great Dane defense left seven Minutewomen on base to hold the shutout win. 

 
GAME TWO
 
SCORE: UAlbany 10, UMass 5
 
KEY STATS

• Sara Anderson led with five RBI from two hits.
• Going 2-3 from the batter's box, Mary Kate Murray, Jordan Nastos, and redshirt-junior Victoria Vilarchao joined Anderson.
• In a team effort, the Great Danes combined to hit for the cycle. In addition to 10 singles, Vilarchao (double, Deanna Grahek (triple), and Murray (home run) added their respective multi-base hits.
• Redshirt-junior Kate Powers pitched all seven innings for her third consecutive complete game.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes started the scoring right away with three runs in the first.
• After loading the bases, Victoria Vilarchao walked in an RBI before Sara Anderson added two RBI with a single to right field.
• Opening the third inning with three consecutive singles, UAlbany extended its lead to five.
• On the third single, Vilarchao drove in pinch-runner junior Caitlyn Frederick before Anderson added her second RBI of the contest with a sacrifice fly.
• Before the inning was over, the Minutewomen got on the board to make it 5-1, UAlbany.
• Murray hit a home run over the left-center fence to give the Great Danes a five-run advantage.
• UAlbany closed the fifth with a double play from Murray at first.
• UMass once again answered with a single run in the bottom of the sixth.
• The Great Danes closed out the game strong with four runs in the seventh inning.
• Starting with a single from graduate student Morgan Petty, Jordan Nastos added an RBI with a single to left center before Vilarchao hit a double to center field.
• To make it a 9-2 lead, Anderson singled through the left side to bring in junior Christie Collins and Nastos.
• Deanna Grahek hit a triple for what proved to be UAlbany's last RBI.
• The Minutewomen put together a rally for three runs in the seventh but it wasn't enough and the Great Danes won, 10-2.

 
NEXT: UAlbany will head on the road for its first conference series - Maine (Mar. 30-31).
 
For more information on the University at Albany softball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanysb
Instagram & Threads - @ualbanysb