POTSDAM, NY – The RIT softball team (8-20, 1-7 Liberty League) dropped a pair of Liberty League contests at Clarkson University (22-12, 6-4 Liberty League) on Thursday afternoon from Scott Field. The Golden Knights took game one in nine innings, 5-4 and won game two, 6-1.
 
RIT rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to tie Clarkson, 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning. RIT scored two in the third, one in the fifth and one in the seventh. In addition, the Tigers out-hit Clarkson, 12-9.
 
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Clarkson's Danielle Whitham singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Michele Winn singled to left field, scoring Whitham for the walk-off win.
 
RIT chipped away at Clarkson's 4-0 lead, scoring two runs in the third inning, as Samm Carroll (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge) singled and scored on a triple by Raquel Estrada (Middletown, NY/Middletown). Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) promptly knocked in Estrada with a single to cut the lead to 4-2. In the fifth, Estrada led off with a single and came around to score on a double by Laura Weintraub (Syosset, NY/Syosset) to make it 4-3.
 
Estrada once again got things going in the top of the seventh inning, lacing a leadoff double. She moved to third on a groundout and then scored on a second groundout, this time by Brianna Bilich (Penryn, CA/Del Oro) to tie the game at 4-4.
 
Estrada finished 3-for-5, coming up a home run shy of the cycle, while scoring three times and driving in a run. Olivia Doret (Fairfax, VA/Chantilly) was also 3-for-5, while Weintraub was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Torie Adler (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) got the start on the mound and scattered nine hits and five runs (one earned) in 8 2/3 innings.
 
Raeanna Dunn, Liz Caggiano and Winn had two hits apiece to lead the Clarkson attack. Caggiano also drove in a pair of runs. Sam Mennig started on the mound for the Golden Knights, allowing 11 hits and three runs in six innings. Leah Allen came on for the final three innings and picked up the win, allowing one hit and one run.
 
In game two, Clarkson scored a run in the second and third innings and pulled away with three more runs in the fifth. Winn went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, while Dunn was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Olivia Zoeller picked up her eighth win of the year, allowing five hits and an unearned run, while striking out three batters in the complete-game effort.
 
Doret had three more hits in game two, completing a 6-for-8 day at the plate. Carroll and Bilich also had one hit, while Weintraub scored RIT's lone run. Abcde Cortinas (San Antonio, TX/Highlands) made the start on the mound, allowing four hits and two runs in four innings.
 
RIT is back in action on Monday with a road doubleheader at Liberty League opponent St. Lawrence University. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.