Troy, NY – After a five-inning 13-4 drubbing in the opener, the Clarkson University Softball team responded with a 10-5 win in the nightcap to claim a doubleheader split against first-place Rensselaer in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights ended a seven-game losing streak with the win in game two, improving to 18-12 overall and 3-5 in conference games, while Rensselaer moved to 23-7 and 6-2. Clarkson will look to even its league mark when it takes on Skidmore in a doubleheader on Sunday.

Nothing went right in the first four innings for Clarkson as Rensselaer put 13 runs on the board before the Knights even recorded a hit. Stephanie Caudle delivered a two-run single in the first and was followed by another two-run single from Morgan Kollmeier in a seven-run inning, and Caudle delivered a true knockout blow in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run homer. Clarkson tried to force more innings with a four-spot in the top of the fifth, it wasn't enough as RPI cruised to a win in the opener.

Game two was a different story as the four hits and four runs in the fifth inning of game one proved to be just the beginning for an awakened Clarkson squad. Jamie Bridge drove home Summer Lancette with a single in the first and Ali Schwenzfeier drove in another to give Clarkson a 2-0 edge before RPI had an at bat. The Engineers broke through in the bottom half of the frame as Morgan Ten Eyck delivered a three-run homer. Clarkson's Sara Armstrong struck for a two-run bomb in the top of the third and then drove in another run on a groundout in the fifth, which was followed by an RBI-single from Katie Pelton, giving Clarkson a 6-3 lead through four and a half frames. In the bottom of the fifth, Caudle produced a two-out, two-run double to tighten the score to 6-5, but once again Clarkson put up a crooked number with four in the top of the sixth. Lancette drove in Raeanna Dunn with a single and Schwenzfeier plated a pair with a double before coming home herself on an error.

Dunn finished 3-for-5 in game two, while Schwenzfeier was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and three more driven in. Jamie Bridge scored four times and went 2-for-4, while Armstrong matched that 2-for-4 effort with three RBI. Lancette also was 2-for-5 for the Knights. Katie Pelton picked up her sixth win of the year for Clarkson, allowing four hits and three earned runs in four innings, while Jamie Bridge came on to pick up her third save of the year, giving up four hits and striking out five over three frames.

For RPI, Caudle was 6-for-7 in the doubleheader with seven driven in and Morgan Ten Eyck had four hits. Caudle was near flawless in the opener, going four strong innings with just two walks and striking out five. In the second game, Victoria Hepworth was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs in three innings, and Caudle was much more hittable in game two, allowing nine hits and five earned runs (six total) over four innings.