Rochester, NY – After being held to three runs in the previous six games, the Clarkson University Softball team broke out offensively on Sunday, scoring 14 runs in a doubleheader sweep against RIT, winning the first contest 3-2 and then blowing out the Tigers 11-1 in game two.

The Golden Knights picked up their first Liberty League wins of the season, improving to 7-20-1 overall and 2-6 in conference games while the Tigers dropped to 6-16 and 2-6. Clarkson returns to Rochester on Tuesday to take on the University of Rochester and then closes out the conference season over the weekend with doubleheaders against Skidmore College and St. Lawrence University.

Clarkson fell behind in Sunday's opener when Erin Guinan struck a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the first, but the Knights tied things up in the top of the third. Samm Swiesz reached on an error and Hannah Bowen followed with a double down the left field line to score Swiesz. Things remained quiet until the seventh, where Clarkson added two more runs. Kyrstin Messier doubled and Sam Mennig singled to put runners on the corners. Michele Winn then singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Danielle Whitham, and a groundout by Bowen allowed Mennig to score and put the Knights up 3-1. A sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning got the Tigers to within a run, but Leah Allen struck out the final hitter of the game to end Clarkson's six-game winless skid.

Allen allowed just three hits and struck out six over seven innings to gain the win, while Lauren Mahar was stuck with the loss for RIT, striking out eight in seven innings.

Clarkson carried over the momentum from the first game straight into game two by scoring four runs in the top of the first and enjoying two more big innings in the fourth and sixth. In the first, Hannah Bowen led off with a walk and was joined on the base paths by Summer Lancette, who singled, and Bridget Woolley, who also walked. Liz Caggiano singled in the Knights first run and Kyrstin Messier forced in another with a bases loaded walk. Sam Mennig also drew a walk to score a run and Michele Winn grounded out to push another run across. In the fourth, a two-run single from Kat Plescow put the Knights up 6-0, but RIT picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out hit. The Golden Knights made sure that there would be no comeback, however, plating five in the top of the sixth. Woolley scored Lancette with a single up the middle and then scored herself when Danielle Whitham stole second. Mennig added a run-scoring single and Winn homered to make it 11-1.

Sam Mennig, who was 2-for-3 at the plate in the first game, went six strong innings to earn the win, giving up just seven hits and no walks while striking out two. Lancette went 3-for-4 at the dish and Caggiano, Plescow and Swiesz each had two hits in game two.