POTSDAM, N.Y. – Sophomore Karson Saunders went 5-for-5 to lead Union College to an 6-4 (8 innings) win in game one, but the Dutchwomen had to settle for a split with Clarkson University after dropping game two by a 3-1 score in Liberty League softball action on Sunday afternoon.
 
Game One: Union 6, Clarkson 4 (8 innings)
 
Saunders was the offensive star for Union in game one, going 5-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases as the Dutchwomen outlasted Clarkson in eight innings. Her five hits are the most in a game by a Dutchwoman in at least a decade. Junior Julia Boule also drove in two runs while senior Stuart Buxton and sophomore Anna Zdunczyk scored twice each.
 
Union used a two-out rally to get on the board in the first inning, as Saunders laced a double to right center and, after stealing third base, came home on an infield single by Boule. Saunders was again in the middle of the action in the third inning, leading off with a single and stealing second before classmate Olivia Valery drove her home.
 
Saunders drove in the run instead of scoring it in the fourth frame, when sophomore Hannah Mitchell led off with a single and eventually came home on Saunders' two-out base hit.
 
After facing the minimum through the first three innings, senior Makayla Koehler ran into her first trouble of the game in the fourth, when a pair of base hits preceded a Kayla Robert single that cut the Union lead to 4-2.
 
The Dutchwomen remained ahead until the seventh inning, when Clarkson scored twice to extend the game. The home team strung together four straight hits to tie the score, but Koehler buckled down to get the second out and then Saunders made a great catch on a line drive to center that kept the game going.
 
Despite losing the lead, Union responded right away with two runs in the eighth to regain its advantage for good. Buxton started the rally with a one-out double, was moved over to third on a grounder by Zdunczyk, and came home on a wild pitch. After Saunders followed with her fifth hit of the day, Boule put together a tremendous 12-pitch at-bat after falling behind 0-2, eventually lifting a sacrifice fly to score Zdunczyk with an insurance run.
 
Senior Catie Raeter came on to close out the game in the eighth inning, working around a one-out walk to retire the Golden Knights and pick up the save. Koehler (3-7) earned the victory for Union, allowing four runs on seven hits in seven innings.
 
Game Two: Clarkson 3, Union 1
 
The Dutchwomen struggled to do anything against Clarkson's Olivia Zoeller in the second game of the day, as the visitors were limited to one hit in a 3-1 loss.
 
Robert put Clarkson ahead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single off sophomore Amanda Granato, then added an insurance run in the fourth that came in handy after Union scored once in the fifth. Koehler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate classmate Kendall Rogoff, but Zoeller got two strikeouts with the bases still packed to retain the lead.
 
The Golden Knights then came back with one run in the bottom of the fifth to secure their advantage.
 
Granato (1-9) allowed three runs on 11 hits in five innings in a losing effort. Zoeller (13-3) allowed only two hits and struck out 12 to earn her second win in as many days.
 
Union is tentatively slated to return to action on Tuesday, when the Dutchwomen will finish their suspended game with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 3:30 p.m. at Alexander Field. Union will close out the regular season with four games against St. Lawrence University next weekend, beginning with two games at Alexander Field on Saturday afternoon.