ELMIRA, NY – The Alfred University softball team took both ends of an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader with host Elmira College Sunday afternoon, claiming the opener, 10-2 in six innings, and pounding out 16 hits to win the second game, 12-0.
 
AU (13-7, 5-1 Empire 8) scored in each of the first four innings of the opener to take a commanding seven-run lead after four and scored the eight-run rule win with a run in the sixth. Senior third baseman Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) stole five bases, which broke the previous school single-game record of four and gave her 53 for her career, tying the school record set by Alyson Hampton (2012-15).
 
Thompson walked leading off the first game, stole second and third and scored on an error. In the second, sophomore outfielder Becca Alexander (Middletown, DE/Middletown) walked and senior outfielder Hannah Lawrence (Spencer, NY/Spencer-Van Etten) singled, with both scoring when sophomore first baseman Kelley Staub (Eden, NY/Eden) singled. Staub scored on a wild pitch and the Saxons led 4-0 after two innings.
 
Elmira cut Alfred's lead in half with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second, but AU boosted its lead to three (5-2) with a run in the third. Junior shortstop Haley Powers (Newark, DE/St. Georges Tech) doubled with one out, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by first-year second baseman Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Beach Union).
 
Alfred pulled away with four more runs in the fourth to go up 9-2. Sophomore Amanda Shaffer (Sandyston, NJ/Kittattinny Regional) hit a lead-off single and moved up a base when sophomore catcher Lea Georgatos (Emerson, NJ/Immaculate Conception) was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced a base on a sacrifice before Shaffer scored on Staub's single and Georgatos came in on Thompson's base hit. Staub stole third and Thompson swiped second and both came in to score on an Elmira error.
 
AU scored its final run in the sixth when Thompson walked, stole second and third, and scored on an RBI groundout by senior Brooke Hockeborn (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads).
 
Thompson went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI as the Saxons banged out nine hits. Staub was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two driven in and Lawrence had two hits in two at bats and scored a run.
 
Junior pitcher Kerri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) earned the win to improve to 3-4 on the year, going four innings and allowing two unearned runs on three hits and striking out four. Sophomore Dominique D'Andrea (Waterford, NJ/St. Joseph) pitched two innings of scoreless and hitless relief, striking out one.
 
In the second game, the Alfred's bats remained hot and the Saxons rode solid pitching by first-year Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) to complete the sweep.
 
After two scoreless innings, AU plated a pair of runs in the third, with Hockeborn doubling to score sophomore catcher Lu Krawczyk (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West).
 
The Saxons added a run in the fourth when Alexander led off with a double, moved to third on a Staub single and scored on Krawczyk's bunt single. Alfred made it 5-0 with two runs in the fifth. Hockeborn walked and stole second and came in on Powers' double. Powers advanced to third on a ground out and scored on Alexander's RBI groundout to make it 5-0.
 
Alfred went up 7-0 in the sixth when first-year Brooke Banks (Odessa, DE/Middletown) and Thompson scored on an error.
 
Banks singled in the seventh to score Staub and Thompson followed with a double to bring in Lawrence and Banks. Hockeborn tripled to drive in Thompson and Powers singled in Hockeborn to make it 12-0.
 
Wilcox threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking none to gain her first collegiate victory. Junior Shannon Schaefer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) tossed the final two innings, preserving the shutout while allowing one hit and striking out one batter.
 
Thompson was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two driven in and Hockeborn was 2-for-3 (double, triple) with two runs and four RBIs to pace the Saxons' hitting attack. Powers was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs and Banks was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one driven in.
 
Alfred is in action next on Tuesday, April 11, at 3 p.m., when the Saxons play a non-league doubleheader at home against Penn State-Behrend. AU then entertains Ithaca in a key Empire 8 doubleheader on Wednesday, April 12, at 3 p.m. at Harrington Field.