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CLERMONT, Fla. - Senior Sara Heller and junior Gillian McCarthy keyed a three-run effort in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team to a 7-3 victory over Rhode Island College in the season opener for both teams.  The Engineers shouldered a 4-1 loss to Washington University in St. Louis in the second game.

Locked in a 1-1 tie after the first inning of play, the Engineers capitalized on costly walks by the Anchormen as rookie Jocilyn Rudisill (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) and Heller (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) were walked back-to-back.  Following a stolen base by Rudisill to advance to third, McCarthy (Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington) was given the free pass, setting up a bases loaded situation.

The next play saw sophomore Charlene Osmanski (Elmhurst, IL/York) hit by the pitch to bring Rudisill to the plate for a 2-1 RPI advantage.  Sophomore Dani Grage (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) was then walked to bring another across and make it a 3-1 lead for the Engineers after three innings.

Rhode Island added a run in the top of the fourth as an error and a single brought in a runner, but Rensselaer kept pace with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning.  The Engineers then took control of the game for good in the bottom of the sixth, bringing three runs across.

After senior captain Kelly Erkert (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township) reached on a fielder's choice, Rudisill singled to put two on.  Heller quickly followed with an RBI single and was followed by McCarthy, who blasted a two-run triple to make it a 7-3 game.  Osmanski walked on the next play with two outs on the board, but a pop-up ended the inning.

Osmanski picked up the victory, 5 2/3 innings in the game.  She allowed three runs (none earned) on six hits with a strikeout and no walks allowed.  Rookie Kristina Weltzin (Commerce Town, MI/Walled Lake Northern) came on in relief, pitching to the last batter of the sixth before ending the game in the seventh.  She walked just one batter, while striking out another.

Following the victory, the Engineers faced Washington University and were dealt a tough one as sophomore Kelsey Neal tossed a complete-game on the mound and added the sixth home run of her career in a 4-1 win over Rensselaer. She allowed 10 hits and one earned run while striking out five in her third career start.

RBI singles by freshman Adrienne White in the first and junior Sondra Polonsky in the third put the Bears up in front 2-0. Neal's solo home run – her first of the season – pushed the advantage to 3-0 and the Bears added an unearned run in the sixth to round out their scoring. Washington U. had eight hits, led by senior Alyssa Abramoski was 3-for-4, while Neal and White added two hits apiece.

The Engineers lone run came in the top of the sixth as junior Caitlin McGivern (Bethlehem, PA/Notre Dame) singled to score Grage, but was called out trying to take second base.

Weltzin shouldered the loss for RPI in game two, allowing four runs (2 earned) on five hits over 6.0 innings of work.  She struck out four batters and walked two.