ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Justine Brooks had three hits in the first game of the Empire 8 doubleheader with Russell Sage Saturday and helped the Nazareth College Softball team post a 4-3 win in the opener. The Golden Flyers could not take advantage of opportunities in the second games and dropped a 6-1 decision for the split.

Between games seniors Brooks, Sarah Simmons, Jessica Klem and Maddie Funk were honored.

In the opener, junior Emily Daciw struck out 10 batters from the circle and also belted a two-run home run to lead Nazareth (13-15 overall, 6-6 Empire 8) in the win.

The Golden Flyers took an early lead with a run in the first inning. Brooks led off the inning with the first of her three singles and moved to second on a single up the middle by sophomore Cassidy Hoffmier. A fly out by senior Sarah Simmons was deep enough to mover the runners up a base and sophomore Marissa Berghorn grounded out to score Brooks for the early lead.

Sage (10-16, 3-4 Empire 8) rallied in the third to take a 2-1 lead but Nazareth answered back in the fourth.

Freshman Maggie Burdick singled to start the inning and Daciw stepped up and hit a home run with a blast over the right field fence to give Nazareth the 3-2 lead.

The Golden Flyers scored another run in the fifth to extend the lead before Sage tried to come back in the sixth. After a leadoff home run to trim the lead to 4-3, Daciw retired the next three batters to keep the lead.

Brooks was 3-for-4 while freshman Katie Schmidt was 2-for-3 to lead the offense in the opener.

In game two, Nazareth had eight hits and the Sage defense committed four errors but the Golden Flyers left 14 runners on base in the game.

The lone Nazareth run came in the third inning when Simmons reached on an error with two outs and moved to second on a Berghorn single. Burdick followed with a run-scoring single.

Burdick finished 3-for-4 and sophomore Megan Pum was 2-for-4.