Play of the Week

ALFRED, NY –- The Alfred University softball team ran its winning streak to 14 games Monday with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Hilbert College.
 
The Saxons won the non-conference games 8-0 and 10-1, both in five innings, to improve to 20-2 overall.
 
In the opener, senior Alison Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) tossed her second no-hitter of the season, striking out nine Hilbert batters. The only baserunner Wickwire allowed came on a two-out error in the fourth inning. Wickwire was an offensive force in the second game, blasting a two-run homerun, her 10^th of the season and fifth in six games. She also belted a two-run double and finished the game with four RBIs. The double was the 35th of her career, which ties an AU all-time record.
 
The first game was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when AU erupted for eight runs. Sophomore third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) stroked a three-run homerun and junior catcher Nora Passuite (Lockport, NY/Lockport), sophomore first baseman Sophia Chiavatti (Austin, CA/Foothills) and freshman outfielder Shannon Schaefer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) each hit RBI doubles in the inning.
 
Chiavatti finished with two doubles and scored a run and junior Mackenzie Miller (Newport, OR/Newport) scored once and drove in a run.
 
AU scored twice in the bottom of the first to take an early lead in the second game. Wickwire drove in Thompson with a double and came in to score on a single by junior catcher Jasmine Picini (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac).
 
After Hilbert (2-16) cut its deficit in half with a run in the third, Alfred answered with four in the bottom of the frame. Thompson smashed an RBI double, advanced to third on the throw home and scored on a throwing error a batter later. Wickwire plated a run with a sacrifice fly and Schaefer doubled home Miller to give Alfred a 6-2 advantage.
 
The Saxons scored four in the fourth to put the game away. Junior second baseman Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Twp.) hit an RBI single ahead of back-to-back homeruns by Wickwire and Picini.
 
Picini finished 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs and junior outfielder Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) was 2-for-3 and scored twice. Torchia, Wickwire and Thompson each scored three runs.
 
Schaefer got the pitching win, allowing an unearned run on four hits while striking out seven to improve to 3-0 on the year.
 
AU plays next on Tuesday, April 14, in a non-league doubleheader at 3 p.m. at Penn College.