LOS ANGELES, CA – The Alfred University softball team (5-5, Empire 0-0) swept the Occidental Tigers in a doubleheader Thursday. Sophomore Moreta Dyke (Milesburg, PA/Bald Eagle Area) recorded her first collegiate win in game two.
 
Dyke pitched a complete game during the second contest, earning her first collegiate win at AU.
 
Game One
The first game saw little offense to begin as both pitchers shut down their opponents. Junior Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) mowed through four batters and held the Tigers to two runs en route to AU's fourth win of the year.
 
AU jumped out ahead in the top of the fourth when junior Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Beach) was hit a by a pitch to lead off the inning. First-year Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) subbed in as a pinch runner and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Lu Krawczyk (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West). O'Toole took third on a wild pitch during the next at bat before being batted in by junior Jillian Murray (Eden, NY/Eden) on a sac fly to left field. Occidental tied the game up in the bottom of the inning, 1-1.
 
The Saxons kept the momentum rolling into the fifth inning when junior Alana Eaton (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) led off with a single to right field. Sophomore Sydney Saucedo (Whittier, CA/La Serna) reached base on an error, moving Eaton to second. First-year Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) batted Eaton in on a single to left field and moved Saucedo to second. Both Saucedo and Guitron advanced on a wild pitch before O'Toole sent a shot up the middle to score Saucedo to give AU the 3-1 lead. Occidental attempted to answer back with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Wilcox sat the side down in the bottom of the seventh to defend AU's lead.
 
AU recorded seven hits and three RBI's during the game. Wilcox tied Shannon Schaefer '18 for the fifth-most strikeouts in program history with 217 strikeouts in three years.
 
Game Two
The Saxons started the game hot putting up a run in the top the first. Ceja batted in Tati Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy) after she began the game with a walk. The Tigers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
 
AU scored two more runs in each the third and the fourth innings to jump out on top of the Tigers 5-2. Occidental scored again in the fourth, but it was to no avail as AU scored four times in the fifth to seal the victory. Senior Kelley Staub (Eden, NY/Eden) batted in fellow senior Becca Alexander (Middletown, DE/Middletown and first-year Mara Moore (Torrance, CA/West High) with a single to center. Guitron recorded two RBIs on a her first career second career triple, pushing in Eaton and Staub. The Saxons maintained pace, winning the game 9-4.
 
Dyke pitched a complete game allowing only three earned runs. The Saxon defense had only one error in the game.
 
"The team got a little sleep last night and we talked a lot about execution and coming up with big hits in the right spot and being confident," Head Coach Luke Wesneski said. "Today we had some key situations where we could drive runs in and the girls came up big. We had two outstanding pitching performances from Jessica Wilcox and Moreta Dyke that got her first college win so we're super excited for her and this is a great sweep for us. We have one more day that we're excited about and we're looking forward to it."
 
The Saxons square off with #14 Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow at 1PM and 3PM.