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CLINTON, N.Y. - Senior Sara Finkbeiner collected six hits and a win as the Rensselaer softball team defeated Hamilton, 8-0 in six innings and 5-4 in 10 innings at Ferguson Fields.

After winning the first game an inning early, the Red Hawks (14-4) took the nightcap in dramatic fashion. Rensselaer scored the game-winning run in the top of the tenth, when a tie-breaker procedure called for a base-runner at second to begin the inning.  Following a sacrifice bunt, the Red Hawks took advantage of the only Continental error in the game as sophomore Jen Bach (Lansdale, PA/Gwynedd Mercy Academy) scored on a dropped fly ball. Hamilton could not match the run in the bottom of the frame.

RPI jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap when Finkbeiner (Napanoch, NY/Ellenville) tripled and scored on a Becky Bailey (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) ground out.  Hamilton (4-17) knotted the score at 1-1 in the third but Rensselaer took a 4-1 lead with three more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run single by Bailey.

Hamilton responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the score at 4-4.

Bach earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.  Megan Coughlin suffered the loss after giving up just three hits and the unearned run in 6.1 innings of relief.

In the first game, Finkbeiner, the lead-off hitter, was 3 for 4 with a run and Bailey, the second-place hitter, was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs to lead the Red Hawks to the 8-0 win.  Bach added two hits, two runs and an RBI.

Rensselaer led 1-0 after three innings and added three in the fifth and four in the sixth for the win.

Finkbeiner pitched all six innings for the shutout, giving up seven hits with four strikeouts.  Coughlin was saddled with the loss.