Leesburg, FL – After having its offense silenced by Arcadia in the opener in Florida, the Clarkson University Softball team broke out with 13 runs in a victory over Trinity to earn a split on day one of its spring trip.

The Golden Knights sit at 3-3 through six games this year and will continue with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon against Sewanee and Buffalo State.

In the opener, Clarkson couldn't get much going on offense, while Arcadia plugged away by taking advantage of Golden Knight miscues. Arcadia scored an unearned run on a failed pick off in the first and then added another run in the second with a two-out single. Another unearned run crossed in the top of the fourth, giving Arcadia a 3-0 advantage before Clarkson truly threatened. Jamie Bridge singled and stole second in the bottom of the fourth, but was eliminated on a fielder's choice. In the bottom half of the fifth, Clarkson again had a runner in scoring position, but it was on a two-out triple by Bridget Woolley. Arcadia tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh to make the score 5-0, and Clarkson put two runners on with no outs in the bottom half of the inning. Despite pressure on Arcadia the Golden Knights came away with nothing and fell by five.

Jamie Bridge tossed a complete game, allowing seven hits and three walks but striking out 10. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate, as did junior Erika Jensen. Kayla Resh and Mary Pat Murray did a good job of keeping the Golden Knights off the base paths, combining to give up six hits with no walks. Resh went four innings for the win and Murray earned the save with three scoreless frames. Marissa Mancinelli delivered run scoring singles in both the second and fourth for Arcadia.

In game two, Clarkson remained quiet for the first two innings against Trinity, but the Knights broke through with four runs in the top of the third to begin their offensive outburst. Raeanna Dunn circled the bases after reaching on a fielder's choice and she was followed by a hit by pitch (Summer Lancette) and walk (Jamie Bridge) to bring Michele Winn to the plate. The freshman deposited the ball over the fence for her fifth homer of the season, making the score 4-0. Trinity scored one in the bottom half of the third, but the Knights tacked on four more runs in the top of the fifth. Lancette doubled home pinch-runner Karlie Neuhausser to make the score 5-1 and Bridge later scored on a wild pitch for a 6-1 lead. Ali Schwenzfeier then added a two-run double for an 8-1 lead.

The Bantams again responded with a run in the bottom half of the fifth to cut the margin to 8-2. However, Clarkson put things away with five unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Hannah Isaacson reached on an error and came around when Winn pushed her across with a bases loaded walk. With the bases still chucked, sophomore Liz Caggiano hit her first collegiate home run, a grand slam, to give Clarkson a 13-2 edge.

Clarkson only had eight hits for its 13 runs as only Jamie Bridge enjoyed another multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored. After an 0-for-9 start to the season, Bridge is now 9-for-12 since getting her first hit of the season. Winn reached bases three times with her homer and a pair of walks, driving in four, while Caggiano also pushed four across and scored twice. Leah Allen earned the win, allowing eight hits in 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. Katie Pelton finished off the game by allowing just one hit over the final four outs.