Potsdam, NY – A walk-off and a walloping would best describe the doubleheader for the Clarkson University Softball team on Wednesday, as the Golden Knights won 5-4 in extras in the opener and then won by run-rule 13-2 in the second game against Potsdam State.

The Golden Knights improved to 18-14 on the season while the Bears fell to 8-21. Clarkson will close out the regular season this weekend with four conference games, taking on Skidmore in a doubleheader on Saturday and Rensselaer in a twin bill on Sunday.

The opener saw Clarkson win in bizarre walk-off fashion as the Golden Knights scored two in the bottom of the eighth to pick up the win. Potsdam started things off with an impressive offensive display, scoring twice on a two-run homer by Jordan Ott and five batters reaching on hits among the first seven. However, no more runners would score as Leah Allen wiggled out of the bases loaded jam in the top of the first. Clarkson responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning when Michele Winn singled home Summer Lancette on a single to left. The two teams went silent on offense for the next few innings until Clarkson was able to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Jamie Bridge led off the frame with a single and moved up on a single from Ali Schwenzfeier, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Samm Swiesz to make the score 2-2.

Things looked bleak in the top of the seventh when Potsdam inserted a pinch-hitter, Day Stevens, who promptly hit a solo homer to left-center, giving the Bears a brief 3-2 lead. However, in the bottom half of the seventh Clarkson picked up the tying run. Samm Swiesz led off with a walk and moved up on a sacrifice bunt. After moving up on a passed ball, Swiesz was able to score on a ground out.

In the eighth, Potsdam moved the runner up from second on a sacrifice bunt and a single to left gave the Bears the lead. Clarkson also moved its runner up to third on a sacrifice bunt, but couldn't move Raeanna Dunn up when Jamie Bridge lined out. With two outs, Michele Winn lofted a fly ball to deep right center, but the ball was dropped to allow Dunn to score. Winn raced around the bases and was on third base when a relay throw rolled into the dugout, giving Winn an extra base and a "walk-off" win for Clarkson.

The loss must have hurt the spirits of the Bears and elevated those of the Knights, because Clarkson poured on the offense in game two. Nine of the first 10 hitters reached base for the Knights as they paraded around the bases in the first inning. Raeanna Dunn plated Lancette to start things and was followed a few batters later by a bases loaded RBI groundout from Ali Schwenzfeier. Liz Caggiano then singled home a run, as did Bridget Woolley to make the score 4-0 and forcing Potsdam into a pitching change. The alteration in the circle didn't stop the Knights, however, as another run came in on an error and two more were plated by Lancette's single up the middle. Dunn then tripled home Lancette before Jamie Bridge flew out to finally end the inning with eight runs. The second inning was more of the same, though, as Clarkson pushed across five more runs. Caggiano doubled home Danielle Whitham and Woolley singled in another to make it 10-0. Erika Jensen then singled home Caggiano, Messier singled in Woolley and Lancette lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Jensen for a 13-0 Clarkson lead.

A two-out rally by Potsdam in the third kept the game from being an abbreviated shutout, as Jordan Ott singled home a pair of runs on a blooper to left. From that point on, it was a matter of Clarkson getting enough out to end the game early, which they did when Katie Pelton retired six of the seven hitters she faced in the final two innings.

Pelton earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless frames and allowing just a single hit, while Bridge started the game and struck out seven in three frames. Dunn was 3-for-3 with a pair driven in and both Liz Caggiano and Bridget Woolley were 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Only Michele Winn had a multi-hit game in the opener, going 2-for-4.