SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College softball team gets set for its first Liberty League tournament game in five years as they take on Clarkson University in the conference's 4/5 game on Thursday morning at 10 a.m from Doris Robison Field in Troy, N.Y.

GAME DETAILS: 10:00 a.m. – Doris Robison Field – Troy, N.Y.

LIVE COVERAGE: For those who are unable to make the game in Tory. RPI will provide a live video stream of the game and also live stats will be available as well.

HOW DID THEY GET HERE: Union (14-18, 6-8 Liberty League) is the fourth seed in the tournament. The Dutchwomen needed a four-run come from behind win to get into the Liberty League tournament on the final day of the season, knocking off St. Lawrence by a 4-3 score to move into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Clarkson (20-16, 6-8 Liberty League) swept its way into the tournament by beating Skidmore 1-0 and 4-2 last weekend, but is the fifth seed after losing the tiebreaker to Union.

THE TEAMS: The Engineers of RPI (31-7, 13-1 Liberty League) earned the League's top spot and hosting privileges for the tournament. The University of Rochester (32-6, 13-1 Liberty League) finished in second place in the conference. The Bombers of Ithaca (25-10-1, 10-4 Liberty League) finished in third, Union fourth, and Clarkson fifth.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: Union is making its first appearance in the postseason since 2018 and eighth Liberty League Tournament appearance overall. The Dutchwomen will look to win their first game in the tournament since 2015, when they beat RPI 2-1. Union is 9-11 overall in the Liberty League Tournament, including conference championships in the first two years of the tournament in 2010 and 2011.

LAST MEETING: Union earned a sweep over the Golden Knights earlier this season with a 2-1 and 8-2 victory over them on April 28th. In, the first game all of the runs were scored in the first two innings, with Union trailing 1-0 before winning 2-1. In the second game, Clarkson was once against leading 2-1 after the first two innings but Union plated five runners in the bottom of the third inning, jumping out to a 6-2 lead and cruising to an 8-2 victory.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: The Golden Knights needed a sweep of Skidmore College on their final doubleheader of the season to position themselves in the tournament. The Golden Knights earned wins over Skidmore, RIT, and St. Lawrence in conference play. Senior Bridget Twaits has played in all 36 games this season for Clarkson. She is batting .372 with 45 hits, four doubles, 2 triples, a home run, and 13 RBI. Sophomore Zoey Kovach leads the team in RBI with 19, nine doubles, and 55 total bases, while backstopping the team in all 36 games.

In the circle, Riley Page and Devin Fitzpatrick have carried the majority of the load for the Golden Knights. Page is 12-7 with a 3.19 ERA and 113.0 innings pitched. She has also struck out 98 batters on the season. Fitzpatrick is 8-7 with a 3.65 ERA and 113.1 innings pitched.

LEADING THE PACK: Senior Karson Saunders once again has paced the Dutchwomen in almost all statistical categories. Saunders is batting .515, with 52 hits, 26 RBI, 77 total bases, a .762 slugging percentage, and is 22-23 when stealing this season. Saunders also leads the Liberty League in multiple categories including batting average, OPS, hits, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. On the national level, Saunders is fifth in NCAA DIII in batting average (.515) and ninth in runs scored per game with 1.31 per game.

Saunders set the Union College single season stolen base record with 17 stolen bases, when she stole her 17th earlier this season against RPI. Saunders now sits at 22 stolen bases and has only been caught stealing once in her career.

HOT CORNER: Senior third base Olivia Valery is enjoying herself a career year. Valery is batting .412, with 42 hits, 19 runs scored, two home runs, 34 RBI, and 56 total bases. She leads the team in RBI and this number is 16 more then last season. She has seen improvement in also every statistical category this season. Valery earned Liberty League Performer of the Week honors for her play back on April 3.

SOPHOMORE STANDOUT: Catcher Nahnny Sobetzko was been excellent in her second season back stopping the Dutchwomen. Sobetzko improved in every category this season including having her batting average jump 89 points from .241 to .330 in her second season. She has been especially great in conference play, hitting .366 with 9 RBI, a home run, and two doubles. Sobetzko also earned Liberty League Performer of the Week honors on May 1.

FIRST-YEAR FORCE: First-year Ellie Wintringer has been a great addition to the middle of the infield for Union. The rookie is second on the team in RBIs while batting in the five hole. She tied for the most at-bats on the team and has appeared and started in all 32 game this season for Union. Wintringer earned Liberty League Rookie of the Week back on April 3.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of Thursday morning's game will advance into the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will play top seeded RPI at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. A full tournament schedule is below.

Thursday, May 11
Play-In Game: #4 Union vs. #5 Clarkson, 10:00 a.m.
Game 1: #1 Rensselaer v. #4 Union/#5 Clarkson, 12:30 p.m.
Game 2: #2 Rochester vs. #3 Ithaca, 3:00 p.m.

Friday, May 12                                                                                                   
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 10:00 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 12:30 p.m.
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner, 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 13                                                                                           
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 2:30 p.m. (If Necessary)