Potsdam, NY – Despite pounding out 24 hits in 15 innings, the Clarkson University Softball team had to settle for a split on Saturday against Union College, beating the Dutchwomen 7-1 in the opener but dropping game two 7-6 in extra innings.

The Golden Knights moved to 20-14 overall and 5-7 in the Liberty League, placing just outside the top four in the conference. Clarkson looks to close out the regular season on Sunday when it hosts SUNY Canton at Scott Field. Union saw its season end with a record of 8-22 overall and 3-9 in the league.

Union opened the scoring in the first game when Courtney Casey delivered an RBI-single in the top of the third and the Knights were kept mostly quiet until the bottom of the fifth when the floodgates opened. The Dutchwomen retired the first two hitters of the inning before Summer Lancette hit a seemingly harmless single. Jamie Bridge followed with a single and Ali Schwenzfeier drove in Clarkson's first run with another single. Sara Armstrong kept the line moving with the fourth straight hit to push across another run and two more came home when Liz Caggiano reached on an error. Katie Pelton then doubled home Clarkson's fifth run and another error that allowed Erika Jensen to reach kept the inning alive. Bridget Woolley doubled home the final two runs of the frame as Clarkson scored seven times on six hits.

Jamie Bridge finished with 12 strikeouts in seven innings, allowing three hits and four walks in the complete-game effort. Raeanna Dunn, Lancette, Armstrong and Woolley each had two hits in the opener.

It appeared as if Clarkson would continue to bludgeon the ball in game two as Schwenzfeier delivered a bases loaded two-run single in the bottom of the first, but the Dutchwomen kept pace with two unearned runs in the top of the second and a third run on a Joanna Chalifoux double in the next inning. Clarkson picked up three runs in the bottom half of the third when Schwenzfeier started things off with a one-out double to score Bridge. Caggiano plated Schwenzfeier with a single and Pelton delivered a sac fly to score Armstrong, making the score 5-3. Union responded yet again with a run in the top of the fourth as Dana Dolinko drove in a run with a double and things were quiet for the next two frames. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth that Clarkson looked to have things wrapped up when Woolley led off the inning with a solo homer to make the score 6-4. However, Union tied the game with a two-run bomb from Kim Puzo in the top of the seventh, sending the game to extras. Union got a solo homer from Dolinko in the top of the eighth, and Clarkson had runners on the corners with hopes of tying the game, but Union wiggled out of the jam to pick up the win.

Lancette, Bridge, Schwenzfeier and Caggiano each had two hits for Clarkson in the second game, with Bridge getting saddled with the loss after three innings of relief. Dani Hennel pitched 5.2 innings of strong relief to earn the win and also had two hits in the game. Dolinko, Puzo and Molly O'Brien also had two hits apiece for the Dutchwomen.