ROCHESTER, N.Y. (May 1, 2010) – On the season's final day the Stevens Institute of Technology softball earned its first Empire 8 win on Saturday, defeating Rochester Institute of Technology 6-3 in the opening game of their doubleheader. Clair Strom homered in the first game, moving her into a tie with classmate Lauren Hurley for the team lead with four round-trippers each. The Ducks (8-28) fell in the nightcap to the Tigers (17-19) by a score of 8-0.

In the first game, Stevens raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Brianna Sticco and Naomi Sacks both knocked one-out singles, and three consecutive Tiger errors allowed four runs to score as Sticco, Sacks, Sarah Parker and Denise Wagner all came home for the Ducks.

Stevens senior pitcher Amanda Petrocelli cruised for the first four innings of her last collegiate start, shutting out RIT and surrendering just two hits over that span.

Meanwhile the Ducks continued to add to their lead, as Victoria Webber singled with one out in the fourth - her second hit of the day. Krista Sticco moved her to second base with a groundout before Hurley doubled to centerfield for a two-out RBI to make it a 5-0 score.

Strom hit her solo jack with one out in the top of the fifth, giving the Ducks their sixth and final run.

The Tigers hung three runs on the board on two hits in the home half of the fifth, but Petrocelli shut them down the rest of the way. She held the home team without a hit over the final two innings to nail down her sixth win of the year. Petrocelli has also finished every game she has started this season, making Saturday's contest her 19th complete game in 19 starts.

In game two, RIT scored a run in the first and four in the third to take control of the matchup. Tiger starter Brittany Kemp (Dansville, N.Y.) kept the Ducks off-balance all day, tossing six innings of shutout ball, while driving in four runs from the plate as well.

Hurley broke up Kemp's no-hit bid with a single in the sixth inning, though the game would end after the frame via the eight-run rule.

Stevens finishes its inaugural varsity season with an 8-28 record and 1-13 mark in Empire 8 play. A solid young core returns for what should be a promising 2011 season.