ROCHESTER, NY – The Alfred University softball team traveled to Rochester Tuesday to take on host RIT, and came away with a split of Wednesday afternoon's non-conference doubleheader.
 
After relinquishing a four-run lead in the opener, the Saxons won 5-4 in eight innings, before dropping a 4-1 decision in the nightcap.
 
In the first game, AU (14-6) allowed RIT to tie the game at 4-4 on a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The Saxons answered in the eighth, as senior second baseman Dana Torchia Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Twp.), who had been placed at second base to start the frame, moved to third on a sacrifice and came home to score what proved to be the winning run on a single by senior catcher Jasmine Picini (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac).
 
After a scoreless first two innings, Alfred broke through in the third inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring four runs. Senior shortstop Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) belted a two-run double that scored senior outfielder Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) and junior third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads). Maher later came in to score on a Torchia double and Picini singled to drive in junior Sophia Chiavatti (Tustin, CA/Foothill).
 
RIT cut its deficit in half with single runs in the fourth and fifth before tying the game up with the Tigers' seventh-inning rally.
 
Sophomore Shannon Schaefer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield), fresh off a no-hitter Tuesday night at Houghton, earned the win in relief of starter Chiavatti. She came in to start the fifth with Alfred leading 4-1 and went four innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out five to improve to 7-2. Chiavatti went the first four and allowed an earned run on five hits.
 
Picini (3-for-4) and Maher (2-for-3) each drove in a pair of runs while Torchia hit a run-scoring double and scored once.
 
AU took an early lead in the second game. Freshman outfielder Becca Alexander (Middletown, DE/Middletown) singled to lead off the third inning, stole second and third, and came home on a throwing error.
 
That was all the Saxons would get, however, as RIT knotted the game with a run in the bottom of the third and scored three runs (one unearned) in the sixth.
 
Alexander had two hits and Jauregui and Torchia one each for the Saxons. Sophomore pitcher Kerri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) took the loss to fall to 5-4 on the year. She allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out three over six innings.
 
Alfred returns to action with a pair of weekend Empire 8 Conference road doubleheaders: Friday, April 15, at 3:30 p.m. at Utica; and Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. at Ithaca.