Albany, N.Y. ? Junior pitcher Leah McIntosh hurled her third perfect game of the season and fifth no-hitter of her career in leading UAlbany to a 6-0 victory over Hartford in the first game of an America East Conference softball doubleheader at Albany Field on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks defeated the Great Danes in game two, 6-2, to salvage the split.

            After McIntosh struck out the side in the top of the first inning of game one, UAlbany plated three runs in the bottom half of the frame. With two outs and runners on the corners, Gina Mason reached on an infield error which scored Andrianna Walraven. Jess Bergin followed up with an RBI-single to score Meagan Butsch from third. Bergin then stole second, and Mason came home for the Great Danes' third run on the throw which tried to gun down Bergin.

            UAlbany added three more runs in the fourth to seal the final outcome. Bergin walked and stole second to lead off the frame, and advanced to third when Katie Wambold grounded out on the next play. A sacrifice fly to left by Kat Smith scored Bergin. Nicole Kothe kept the inning going by singling up the middle. Walraven then singled up the middle, but an error by the center fielder allowed her to advance to third and Kothe to score. Bill singled in Kothe on the next play before Butsch popped up to end the inning a few batters later, and McIntosh took care of the rest by retiring the next nine batters.

            “When your defense, hitting and pitching is all clicking at once, then that is when you see a perfect game,” said McIntosh, who was the only pitcher in the nation to have thrown multiple perfect games at the conclusion of the doubleheader. “It was our team's perfect game. Our defense did a great job of tracking down the ball on a very windy day. (The weather) really wasn't on our side.”

            UAlbany's McIntosh struck out 12 batters while improving to 11-1 this season. Hartford's Siera Sheehan fell to 3-7 with the loss. She struck out four, issued two walks and gave six hits. Only one of the six runs she gave up was earned.

            The wind continued to howl in the second game of the doubleheader, as the two teams combined to commit eight errors. UAlbany scored one run in the first and second frames to take a two-run advantage out of the gates. Butsch tripled in the first run down the right field line, and the second came in on a single by Smith.

            Hartford (11-11, AE 4-1) knotted up the score at two runs apiece in the top of third. Sara Messinger and Rachel Klonick each had RBI singles, but the Great Danes got out of the inning when Smith gunned down Ann Kyzer who was trying to advance to third after Messinger scored.

            The Hawks took the lead for good in the top of the fifth by taking advantage of two Great Dane errors. With the bases loaded and one out following the pair of UAlbany defensive miscues, Kyzer singled in two runs with a shot to left. A single by Kristen Cericola scored Amanda Sais before pitcher Marissa Powell forced Lauren Kamena to ground out. A home run by Messinger to left made it a four-run game in the seventh, and the Great Danes' attempt to rally in the bottom of the seventh fell short.

            UAlbany's Powell, who had won five straight decisions, fell to 8-8 this year with the loss. She gave up eight hits, six runs, including three earned, and one walk while fanning six. Brittney Stratton improved to 8-4 with the victory. She struck out eight batters while allowing seven hits and two runs which were earned.

            UAlbany (19-9, AE 2-2), which had its third game against Hartford tomorrow cancelled due to the threat of rain, will travel to Vermont for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8.

PAW PRINTS: Leah McIntosh has pitched eight shutouts and three perfect games in her 12 starts this season ... At the conclusion of the team's win over Hartford, she was the only pitcher in the nation to have thrown multiple perfect games this season ... Her others came against Rhode Island on Feb. 20 and Bowling Green on March 7 ... She now has five no-hitters in her career, which ranks first on the school's all-time list since the program upgraded to Division I in 2000 ... Casey Halloran is the only other Great Dane to pitch a perfect game in the school's Division I era ... She accomplished the feat against Delaware State on March 12, 2006.

-agate-

            Hartford                                    000       000       0          0          0          2

            UAlbany                                   300       300       x          6          6          0

                        Hartford: Siera Sheehan and Lindsey Anricho.

                        UAlbany: Leah McIntosh and Kat Smith.

            Hartford (11-11, AE 4-1)              002       030       1          6          8          4

            UAlbany (19-9, AE 2-2)               110       000       0          2          7          4

                        Hartford: Brittney Stratton and Lindsey Anricho.

                        UAlbany: Marissa Powell and Kat Smith.

UAlbany 6, Hartford 0 (April 05, 2009 at Albany, N.Y.)

The Automated ScoreBook
Hartford at Albany (Game 1)
Apr 05, 2009 at Albany, N.Y. (Albany Field)

Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Hartford............ 000 000 0 -  0  0  2
Albany.............. 300 300 X -  6  6  0
-----------------------------------------

Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Hartford............ 002 030 1 -  6  8  4
Albany.............. 110 000 0 -  2  7  4
-----------------------------------------