NAPLES, Fla. – The RIT softball team split its first four games to open the Gene Cusic Classic on Monday and Tuesday. 
 
MONDAY
GAME 1 – RIT 3, ALFRED ST. 1

• Junior Maddy Cook finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while first-year Maria Minemier went 3-for-3 in her collegiate debut to lead the RIT softball team to a 3-1 victory over Alfred State in the season opener.
• Alfred State brought an unearned run across in the top of the first on a wild pitch, but the Tigers later responded with a three-run fifth inning. First-year Emma Merkley hit a lead-off single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Bailey Kehl, before heading to third on a Pioneer fielding error off the bat of senior Elise Guth. Junior Lillian Rienstra plated Merkley with a sacrifice fly before a single by Cook and a double by junior Erin Ozminkowski brought home Guth and Cook, respectively.
• Sophomore starter Jessica Majot struck out five in four innings of work before first-year Katie Schneider threw three innings of hitless relief, also striking out five, to earn the victory. 

GAME 2 – WESTERN CONNECTICUT 8, RIT 3

• First-year Kathryn Baretela went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI in her collegiate debut.
• Majot led off the second inning with a triple and eventually came home on a ground-out by Baretela for the game's first run.
• Western Connecticut answered with six runs (three unearned) in the bottom half of the inning and plated another in third for a 7-1 lead.
• The Tigers got one back in the fifth after Majot was hit by a pitch and came around on Baretela's triple.
• The Colonials scored another run in the sixth for an 8-1 lead before limiting RIT to one run in the seventh on a Baretela single to close the game.
• Tiger junior starter Morgan Best gave up two earned runs in over two innings of work to take the loss. Junior Lexi Pieri allowed two runs on three hits in four innings of relief, striking out three. 

TUESDAY
GAME 3 – RIT 9, ST. JOSEPH'S-BROOKLYN 0 (5 INN.)

• Rienstra went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI while Ozminkowski was 1-for-3 with three RBI to support a one-hit shutout by Majot.
• RIT brought four across in the first, including a two-run, bases-loaded single by Ozminkowski and a two-run single by sophomore Bella Pioggia with two outs.
• The Tigers took a 7-0 lead with three more runs in the second. Kehl started the inning by reaching on a St. Joe's error and came home from third on another error off a ball hit by Guth. Rienstra then loaded the based on another error, before Ozminkowski later reached on an error to bring home Guth. Minemier then plated Rienstra with an RBI single.
• RIT put the game away with two more runs in the third. Sophomore Marissa Giuntoli reached on an error before Kehl reached on a bunt. Guth advance both runners with an infield groundout before Rienstra plated Giuntoli with a single to right. Kehl then came home on a throw down to second that caught Rienstra stealing.  
• Majot was perfect over the final four innings, only allowing a hit batter and a single in the first inning en route to her second career shutout.  

GAME 4 – WISCONSIN-SUPERIOR 3, RIT 1

• Guth with 2-for-3 and scored a run in the first inning, while Cook and Minemier also collected two hits in three at-bats apiece.
• Guth led the game off with an infield single and later advanced to third on an infield single by Cook. Guth then came home on a double steal with Cook reaching second.
• Superior took the lead with two runs on three hits in the third and added another run on a bases-loaded, two-out walk in the fifth.
• Schneider allowed one run and three hits in 2.1 innings of work, before Pieri allowed two runs on six hits in 1.2 innings to take the loss. 

WHAT'S NEXT
After a day off on Wednesday, the Tigers finish the week with two games on Thursday (Mar. 14) versus MCLA (9:00 a.m) and the University of St. Joseph (11:00 a.m.) before finishing the week with games opposite Westfield State (9:00 a.m.) and Emerson (11:00 a.m.) on Friday (Mar. 15).