CLERMONT, FL – The Alfred University softball team opened the 2016 season by splitting a pair of Spring Break games in Florida Monday evening. The Saxons shut out Pitt-Greensburg, 8-0, before falling 10-4 to Messiah.

Junior Sophia Chiavatti (Tustin, CA/Foothill) scattered six hits and striking out six to earn the shutout win over Pitt-Greensburg. Chiavatti helped herself at the plate with a double and a run-scoring single in four at-bats.

Junior third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) (double) and senior second baseman Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Twp.) each went 3-for-5 with a run scored for the Saxons. Senior outfielder Samantha Jauregui (Linsday, CA/Lindsay) went 2-for-5 with two steals, a ruin scored and two driven in.

Senior shortstop Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) had a hit and scored twice, while senior Nora Passuite (Lockport, NY/Lockport) scored once and drove in a run and junior outfielder Hannah Lawrence (Spencer, NY/Spencer-Van Etten) had two hits, two steals and a run. Freshman outfielder Becca Alexander (Middletown, DE/Middletown) came on in the fourth inning and hit a run-scoring single and scored a run.

After a scoreless first inning in Alfred's second game Monday, Messiah scored twice in the second, once in the third and four times in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead before AU plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Messiah broke the game open with three runs in the fifth before Alfred closed out the scoring with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Chiavatti belted a two-run triple and scored a run to lead the Saxon bats. Passuite was 2-for-3 with a run scored and senior Jasmine Picini (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) scored once. Alexander (run), Thompson and Jauregui each had a base hit for AU.

Sophomore Kerri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) got the pitching start for AU and allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits while striking out four. Sophomore Shannon Schaefer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) relieved Keeler in the fifth and allowed three runs on a hit while striking out a pair over three innings.

AU is back in action today (Tuesday, March 8) with games against Haverford (5 p.m.) and Cedar Crest (7 p.m.)