Springfield, Mass. - April 12, 2016 - Two walk-off victories helped the Springfield College softball program pick up a pair of wins over Skidmore College on Tuesday afternoon, as the late-game heroics of senior Melissa Nelson (Milford, Conn.) and Carianna Gasdia (Wakefield, Mass.) helped the Pride to improve to 15-9 overall at Potter Field.

Nelson was a combined 4-for-8 at the plate in the two games, while she picked up a pair of RBI in the first game, while Gasdia was 2-for-4 in the second game, also registering two RBI on the day.

Up next, Springfield will travel to Western New England on Wednesday, April 13 and play two games starting at 3 p.m.

Springfield 3, Skidmore 2 -- Game One

Nelson picked up two RBI including the game-winning single into right field that scored Kayla Padroff (Southington, Conn.) from third to give the Pride a 3-2 walk-off victory in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first of two games on Tuesday afternoon.

With the score even at two heading into the final frame, Jordyn Moquin (Plantsville, Conn.) began the inning with a single up the middle, before Padroff came on to pinch run. After Simone Morin (Plantsville, Conn.) pushed her to second with a sacrifice bunt, Talia Loda (East Haven, Conn.) grounded out to second, but Padroff was able to make it to third with two outs. After Elizabeth Joseph (Stamford, Conn.) pinch hit and walked, Nelson roped a single to right and scored Padroff from third to give the Pride the walk-off win.

Loda took the circle for Springfield, and was effective, as she pitched 7.0 innings, giving up just six hits and two runs while also fanning six batters. For the Thoroughbreds, Amanda Carilli (Dedham, Mas.) took the loss as she pitched 6.2 innings, giving up eight hits and three runs.

After Skidmore struck in the top of the first, the Pride quickly erased its one-run deficit when Nelson drove in Loda with a single to center, before the visitors added another in the top of the fourth to make it 2-1.

With the bases empty in the bottom of the sixth, Jenna Webb (Harrison, N.Y.) roped a ball over the right-field fence to pick up her first home run of the season and even the score at two apiece.

After Loda shut down Skidmore in the top of the seventh, Springfield would complete the come-back and defeat the Thoroughbreds, 3-2.

Springfield 7, Skidmore 6 -- Game Two

Holding a 6-2 lead heading into the seventh inning, the Thoroughbreds rallied for four runs in the top half of the frame to even the score at six, but Gasdia proved to be the hero as a double down the right field line scored Rachel Ball (Coventry, R.I.) from second base to give the Pride its second walk-off victory in as many games on Tuesday.

Nicole Cring (Cooperstown, N.Y.) started for the Pride and pitched 5.0 innings, giving up just six hits and two runs, while also striking out two, while Shelby Allen (Oakland, N.J.) picked up her third win of the year, pitching the final 2.0 innings.

For Skidmore, Casey Attonito (Concord, Mass.) pitched 6.0 innings, and surrendered 15 hits and seven runs, while also fanning a pair.

Springfield struck first in the bottom of the third when Sam Cox (Longmeadow, Mass.) drove in Kirsten Drobiak (Griswold, Conn.) with a single to right, before the Thoroughbreds took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth with a two-run single to left from Cassie Fishkin (New City, N.Y.).

The Pride poured on five runs in the bottom half of the inning, as Drobiak doubled to score Webb, before Joseph singled, scoring Cox and Drobiak to make it 4-2, Springfield. Next up, Ball reached first on an error, allowing Cox to cross the plate, and Gasdia singled to center, plating Dani Gray (Milford, Conn.) to make it 6-2, Pride.

After four runs in the top of the seventh from Skidmore to make it 6-6, Ball led off the bottom half reaching first on an error, before Gasdia doubled down the left-field line, scoring Ball from first and giving the Pride the win.