ROCHESTER, NY – Sophomore Maddy Spakoski connected on a walk-off, two-run home run and finished 5-for-7 with three runs and two runs batted in for the day to lead the Nazareth University Softball team to a doubleheader split on the Empire 8 matchup Tuesday afternoon.

Leading 10-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning of the opener, Spakoski belted her first homer of the season over the centerfield fence for a two-run shot to end the game with Nazareth taking the run-rule 12-4 victory.

Freshmen Morgan Russo and Haleigh Suitor added solo home runs in game two, but the Golden Flyers dropped a 4-3 decision and settled for a split in the conference doubleheader.

Nazareth (3-15 overall, 1-3 Empire 8) tied its season high with 11 hits in the opener and scored a season-best 12 runs for the first run-rule victory of the year.

Spakoski was 4-for-4 in the opener with three runs and two RBI and freshman Anna Spencer was 2-for-2 with a run and a run knocked in. Sophomore Madison Chodkowski had two hits as well for the Golden Flyers.

Houghton (6-13-1, 1-1 E8) took an early lead with four runs in the second inning, but Nazareth responded by sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

The Golden Flyers added two more in the third and one in the fourth to extend the lead to 10-4. Spakoski ended the game two innings later with her two-run homer.

In game two, Russo was 3-for-3 with a run, a home run and two RBI and Suitor was 1-for-3 with her HR and two runs scored.

Nazareth is back in action Saturday as the Golden Flyers host conference foe Utica for Mental Health Awareness Day – Helinski's Hope with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Flyer Field.