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ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team opened defense of its Empire 8 Conference crown against visiting Stevens Institute of Technology Friday afternoon at Harrington Field. The Saxons split the conference doubleheader, falling 5-4 in the opener before bouncing back to claim a 10-4 victory in the nightcap.
 
In the second game, AU (9-5, 1-1 E8) fell behind early as the Ducks scored three (one unearned) in the top of the first off sophomore starter Kerri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt). AU answered with a run in the bottom of the frame as freshman catcher Lu Krawczyk (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) singled to score senior shortstop Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy).
   
Stevens (10-6, 1-1 E8) reclaimed the lead with a run in the top of the third before AU went ahead with two runs in each of the next three innings to take a 9-4 advantage after five. In the third, sophomore second baseman Haley Powers (Newark, DE/St. Georges Tech) led off with a double and scored on a two-out Shaffer single. Junior outfielder Hannah Lawrence (Spencer, NY/Spencer-Van Etten), who had walked earlier in the inning, scored on an error to give AU a 5-4 lead.
 
In the fourth, junior third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horsheads) led off with a walk and moved to second on a one-out Powers single. Krawczyk advanced the runners with a single and Thompson and Powers scored on a Passuite single. Powers belted her second double of the game in the fifth inning to score Maher and pinch-runner Brooke Hockeborn (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads).
 
The Saxons scored their final run in the sixth as Shaffer doubled with one out to score Passuite from second.
 
Powers was 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs and Passuite was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and three driven in to pace the Saxons. Maher (two runs) and Krawczyk each drove in a run and Shaffer was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
 
Keeler went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits to improve to 3-3. Freshman Dominique D'Andrea (Waterford, NJ/St. Joseph) came on in the seventh and allowed one hit before finishing off the Ducks.
 
In the opener, Alfred held a 4-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh. The Ducks plated two runs, both with two outs, to take a 5-4 lead, then set AU down in order in the bottom of the frame to complete the comeback win.
 
Alfred took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Junior first baseman Sophia Chiavatti (Tustin, CA/Foothill) grounded out to drive in a run and Maher hit a run-scoring single.
 
Stevens scored two in the top of the second to tie the game and added a run an inning later to move up 3-2. The Saxons reclaimed the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, as Chiavatti belted a two-run double to score senior outfielder Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) and Thompson.
 
Neither team mounted much of a scoring threat over the next three innings, each tallying just one base hit, before Stevens scored the tying and winning runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Sophomore Shannon Schaefer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) took the pitching loss for the Saxons, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out three to fall to 4-2 on the year.
 
Chiavatti finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Thompson scored two runs and Jauregui and Powers each scored one.
 
AU returns to action Saturday, April 2, for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against visiting Empire 8 foe Elmira College.