ROCHESTER, NY – Freshman Maddy Spakoski carried the hot bat all day but was 3-for-3 with two home runs in the second game as the Nazareth Softball team won a 7-4 decision in the second game of the non-conference doubleheader against Buffalo State and salvage a split on the day.

In the opener Buffalo State (12-6) scored 11 early runs and held on for an 11-8 win. The late rally for the Golden Flyers (9-7) carried over to the second game as Spakoski hit two out and senior Emily Daciw added a solid start and a home run of her own to pace Nazareth.

The Bengals scored seven times in the firth four innings to take an early lead but Nazareth scored once in the fourth for a 7-1 Buffalo lead. The Bengals added four more runs in the fifth inning before the Golden Flyers rallied for six runs in the bottom of the inning to trim the lead.

In the fifth, sophomore Maggie Burdick, freshman Macie Vetter, junior Cassidy Hoffmier, junior Megan Pum and graduate student Sarah Simmons all singled in the rally. With two outs, Spakoski doubled to force home the sixth run of the inning.

A late run by Nazareth capped the scoring. Pum and Simmons were 2-for-3 while Spakoski was 2-for-4 in the game.

In game two, Nazareth scored twice in the second and twice in the third as Spakoski and Daciw each homered in the second and Simmons rapped a two-run double off the top of the fence in the third as Nazareth took a 4-0 lead.

Buffalo tied the game with a four-run fourth but Pum answered with a run-scoring single to regain the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

In the fifth, Spakoski connected on her second home run of the game and senior Hailey Bennett scored later in the inning for the final run of the game.

Spakoski and Daciw were each 3-for-3 in game two.

Daciw added a complete-game pitching performance as well with seven strike outs to improve to 8-1 on the season.