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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Junior captain Taylor Ten Eyck finished off a comeback victory for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the 7-6 victory over Alderson Broaddus University, the Engineers open 2015 with a 1-0 record, while the Battlers drop to 5-2.

With the game tied, 5-5, after the scheduled seven innings, it was Alderson Broaddus which struck first, picking up a run in the top of the 8th on a double to left by freshman Alexxi Timmons (Aberdeen, WA/Aberdeen). The inning started with a runner on second thanks to the international tiebreaker rules. After a flyout, Timmons connected a delivery by RPI senior righthander Kristina Weltzin (Commerce Town, MI/Walled Lake Northern) to give the visitors a 6-5 lead.

The Engineers answered in the bottom of the 8th, when freshman Devan Puhl (Frederick, MD/Linganere) brought home the tying run with an infield groundout. Classmate Victoria Greco (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) began the frame at second and was pushed to third on a sacrifice by senior Kathleen Baker (Airmont, NY/Suffern). Puhl then grounded back to the pitcher to tie the game at 6-6.

After a fruitless top of the 9th, Rensselaer won it in the bottom half. Junior Danielle Balestrini (Lake Placid, NY/Lake Placid) was placed on second ahead of a sac bunt by sophomore Morgan Kollmeier (Kennett Square, PA/Kennett), which moved Balestrini to third. Ten Eyck (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) then came through with the game-winning base hit to right center. 

The Battlers built an early 5-0 lead after the first five innings. Sophomore Whitney Brown (Dahlonega, GA/Lumpkin County) drove in three of those runs, including two on a double in the top of the third. 

RPI then mounted a comeback, scoring three in the fifth and two in the sixth to tie the game (5-5).

Kollmeier finished 2 for 4 with a team-best four runs batted in. Taylor Ten Eyck was 2 for 4 with an RBI, while Morgan Ten Eyck (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) was 2 for 4 with a double. 

Weltzin went the distance, allowing six runs (5 earned) on 10 hits in 9.0 innings. She struck out seven and walked four.

In game two, Ursuline College came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Rensselaer, 4-3. With the win, the Arrows improve to 6-4, while the Engineers drop to 1-1.

RPI loaded the bases with two outs in the first and Ten Eyck laced a three-run double, to stake the Engineers to a 3-0 lead. From that point on, UC sophomore pitcher Brittany Humbel was in control. She scattered just three hits over the next six innings and earned the complete game win.

Humbel's final line included three runs on five hits but six strikeouts.

The Arrows cut into the deficit in the fourth when Humbel came through with an RBI double that plated her classmate Brigitte Snow. Still, UC entered the seventh trailing by two.

Humbel was the first to bat in the seventh and she worked a walk. Head coach Sue Woodford summoned sophomore Taylor Test to pinch run. Senior Sam Roberts put the ball in play and everybody wasafe on an error that put two runners on. Sophomore Kaitlin Krajcik laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved two Arrows into scoring position for freshman Leah Leshnack.

Leshnack came through in the clutch with a double that scored Test and Roberts to knot the game at three. Sophomore Ashlie Brown doubled later in the inning to bring Leshnack home for the winning run.