POTSDAM, N.Y. – Senior Stephanie Caudle threw a nine-inning 2-0 shutout, before the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team fell, 7-6, at Clarkson University on Sunday afternoon. With the split, the Engineers are 23-12 (9-3 Liberty League) and earn the right to the 2017 Liberty League Tournament, next week. The Golden Knights are now 20-16 (7-5 Liberty League) and qualify for the postseason for the first time in school history.

Bridge mostly pitched to contact against the Engineers in the first game, allowing only two hits through the first five frames.

Rensselaer broke through in the ninth inning, when Devan Puhl and Caudle both singled, with Puhl advancing to third on Caudle's hit. Cam Caswell then bunted to first base and Puhl raced home just under the tag. Christine White followed with a sacrifice fly for the second run, and Clarkson went quietly in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Caudle finished with 14 strikeouts in nine innings, allowing just two hits and a single walk, while Bridge allowed eight hits and a walk over nine innings.

With Caudle out of the circle in game two, Clarkson's offense broke through with four first inning runs. Dunn opened with a walk and advanced to second on a Lancette single. After a fielder's choice and a fly out, Ali Schwenzfeier hit a fly ball to deep center that just ticked off the glove of Rensselaer's centerfielder for a two-run double. Kyrstin Messier then lined a double to center to plate Schwenzfeier, and she came around on a Liz Caggiano single for a 4-0 Clarkson lead.

The Engineers scored four in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with three singles. With one out, a dropped sacrifice fly allowed one run to come in and one out later, Victoria Greco delivered a two-run double and Devan Puhl produced an infield single to score the tying run, making it 4-4. The score remained that way until the bottom of the sixth. Samm Swieszreached on a four-pitch walk and Dunn singled to center, setting up heroics from Lancette who hit a line drive homer over the right-center wall for a 7-4 Clarkson lead.

Rensselaer wouldn't go quickly in the top of the seventh as Puhl started things up with a one-out single and was followed by a double from Veronica DeStefano. Caudle walked, but a wild pitch on ball four allowed Puhl to score. Maddie Provencher then singled up the middle to pull Rensselaer within one, but with runners on first and second, Dunn fielded a grounder and tossed it to third for the force to end the game.