Northampton, Mass. – Lauren Mackey smacked her first career homerun in the top of the sixth and that run proved to be the difference as Clark managed a split with Smith College in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball action on Wednesday.

The Cougars dropped the opener, 7-6 before rallying in the nightcap, for a 3-2 win.

In the first game, Gina Martucci (Pompton Plains, N.J.) led off the seventh with a single and was moved to second courtesy of a sacrifice bunt. Allison Snyder then doubled to send home the game winning walk off run.

Martucci was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and earned the win. Tori Brown (New Market, Md.) allowed only two earned runs on nine hits with three strikeouts in the first six innings. Snyder went 3-for-4 while Brittney Blokker (Seattle, Wash.) batted 2-for-4 with a double and Ruth Zimmerman (Edison, N.J.) went 2-for-3.

Mackey led the Cougars with a 2-for-4 day including three RBI and a double. Rachel Kraytenberg (Londonderry, N.H.) and Alyssa Wright (Manchester, N.H.) also had a pair of hits. Maya Allen (Concord, Mass.) added a double and Corrie Desrosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.) hit a triple. Hayley Buckheit (Camden, Maine) aided her own cause with a home run while surrendering nine hits in 3 1/3. Melanie Dusseault (Auburn, N.H.) shouldered the loss in relief.

Clark lit up the scoreboard four times in the first. Tatiana Chunis (Sutton, Mass.) reached on an RBI fielder's choice as Mackey doubled in a pair and later scored on a miscue.

The Pioneers dented the scoring column as Richardson led off the bottom of the second with her solo blast. The Cougars responded as Mackey connected on an RBI single in the top of the third.

Buckheit connected on the second round-tripper of the contest in the fourth to give Clark the 6-1 lead. Smith made it a two-run ballgame with a trio of runs in the bottom of the frame. Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn.) drew a bases loaded walk as Zimmerman and Blokker followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Zimmerman used a sacrifice fly and Blokker hit into an RBI ground out as Smith evened the game at 6-6 in the sixth.

Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y.) had two of the Pioneers five hits in game two while Brown, Sarah Tulley (West Simsbury, Conn.) and Snyder each hit safely once. Martucci did not allow an earned run and struck out five in the complete-game effort.

Wright accounted for two of Clark's six hits as Allen, Chunis, Mackey and Dusseault each had one. Dusseault also went the distance as she earned the win.

Clark struck first as Allen scampered home following a miscue. The Cougars added a run in the fifth as Wright connected on a two-out RBI single.

Smith evened it up in the home half of the fifth as Snyder's seeing-eye single through the left side plated Brown, who led off with a double. Giordano pushed the tying run across with a fielder's choice to short. Mackey responded with what proved to be a game-winning a homerun to left center in the sixth.

Looking to pull off another comeback, Giordano sent a two-out single up the middle in the seventh before a ground out ended the contest.

Clark will be back in action on Friday when they host city rival WPI at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

(Release Courtesy Of Smith College Athletics)