TUCSON, Ariz. – Linfield College freshman Eliza Rossman pitched a five-inning no-hitter and three Wildcats hit home runs in a 12-0 rout of the Rochester Yellowjackets Friday during the opening day of action at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Earlier Friday, Linfield dropped a high-scoring 11-6 contest to St. Thomas.
 
The Wildcats moved to 7-4 for the season with games against Coe and St. John Fisher on deck for Saturday.
 
GAME 1: St. Thomas (Minn.) 11, Linfield 6
Linfield scored first but St. Thomas had the last laugh in a game that featured a combined 25 hits and 11 walks.
 
How it played out
Cheyenne Fletcher's RBI double in the first inning put Linfield up 1-0 before St. Thomas rung up six runs to take a 6-1 lead at the game's midway point. In the bottom of the fourth, Fletcher singled to drive in Jessica Woodruff from third base, and Emily Allen followed with a two-run double to left field to pull the 'Cats within two runs.
 
Chelsea Horita swatted her fourth home run of the season in the fifth to make the score 6-5 in favor of St. Thomas. But the Tommies answered with Elise Barnes' RBI single in the top of the sixth. Horita's next trip to the plate produced a run-scoring double, again making it a one-run game, but that's as close as the Wildcats would come.
 
In the circle
UST pitchers Sammy Hogan and Hayley Dunning (1-0) combined to strike out seven Wildcats. Linfield's Shelby Saylors took the loss to fall to 3-3. Saylors gave up 10 hits, three walks and four earned runs before turning the game over to Tanna Benson in the middle of the fourth.
 
At the plate
Fletcher (single, two doubles) and Horita (single, double, home run) piled up three hits each and drove in a pair of runs.
 
GAME 2: Linfield 11, Rochester (N.Y.) 0, 5 innings
Rossman struck out four and walked three Yellowjackets while improving her season record in the pitching circle to 4-0.
 
Inning by inning
A double by Woodruff drove in three Linfield runs to open the scoring in the first inning. Things didn't get any better for Rochester in the second inning as the Wildcats erupted for eight runs, opening up an 11-0 advantage. Linfield reeled off seven straight hits, including home runs from Makenna Clizer and Fletcher, plus two triples by Jacinda Swiger and Woodruff.
 
A leadoff home run by Allen in the third inning completed the Linfield scoring.
 
Totaling up the stats
For the game, Allen went 3 for 4, Fletcher was 2 for 4 and scored twice, and Woodruff drove in five runs, going 2 for 3.
 
Rochester starter Elizabeth Bourne (0-1) took the loss, lasting 1.1 innings being replaced by Alicia Bagan.
 
Next
Linfield faces Coe at 2 p.m. local time before battling St. John Fisher, ranked second in the nation in the latest NFCA Top 25 poll, at 4:30.