Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team split a doubleheader with visiting Stevens in Empire 8 Conference action Sunday afternoon at Harrington Park. After dropping the opener, 3-2 in eight innings, the Saxons rebounded to take the second game, 5-1, giving head coach Gino Olivieri his 200^th win as the Saxons' skipper.

In the second game, the contest was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when AU sophomore second baseman Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Twp.) hit an RBI single, freshman third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) scored on a fielder's choice, and sophomore catcher Jasmine Picini (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) belted a two-run single.

That was all the support freshman pitcher Sophia Chiavatti (Santa Ana, CA/Foothills) would need, as she allowed an unearned run on three hits over five innings, striking out three and walking four. Sophomore Katelyn Jakobsen (Elmwood Park, IL/Elmwood Park) came on with a runner on and no outs in the sixth and held the Ducks scoreless over the final two frames, allowing two hits and striking out three.

Torchia was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Sophomore outfielder Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) went 2-for-4 and scored a run and senior outfielder Samijo Scheer (Corning, NY/Corning East) hit a double, scored a run and drove in two.

AU improved to 12-4 with the victory and evened its Empire 8 record at 1-1. Stevens finished the twinbill with a 15-5 mark (3-1 Empire 8).

In the opener, Stevens' hurler Kayla Berardi held a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the seventh when the Saxons broke through with a pair of runs to send the game into extra innings.

Scheer led off the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a single by sophomore shortstop Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy). Picini doubled to drive in both runners and knot the game at 2-2, but was stranded at second as Berardi struck out the next three Saxons. After Stevens scored in the top of the eighth to make it 3-2, the Saxons put runners on second and third with two outs on a Torchia single and Scheer double before a strikeout ended the game.

Maher was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Scheer and Torchia each had two hits in four at-bats for the Saxons. Junior pitcher Alison Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) went the distance for AU, allowing three earned runs on six hits, striking out 11.

AU is in action next on Tuesday, April 8, for a 3 p.m. doubleheader at RIT.

Olivieri achieved his 200^th career collegiate coaching victory (all at AU), in this, his ninth season at the Saxons' helm. After Sunday's doubleheader, Olivieri, the schools' all-time leader in coaching wins, has a career record of 200-116.