WEEHAWKEN, NJ – The Alfred University softball team fell 3-0 to third-seeded St. John Fisher College on Friday afternoon during the opening game of the Empire 8 Championships.
 
The Saxons (20-19, 9-5 Empire 8) gave up two early runs in the bottom of the first inning off of a stolen base attempt and a single. The remainder of the game stayed at 2-0 in favor of the Cardinals of St. John Fisher before they tacked on one more run in the sixth inning.
 
AU had a chance to score in the top of the third inning as senior Kelley Staub (Eden, NY/Eden) and sophomore Sydney Saucedo (Whittier, CA/La Serna) both walked to get on first and second base. First-year Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) grounded out to the Fisher pitcher to advance Staub to third and Saucedo to second base. Senior Lu Krawczyk (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) loaded the bases for Alfred University when she was hit by a pitch. With three runners on base for the Saxons, junior Jillian Murray (Eden, NY/Eden) fouled her first pitch and then flew out to right field to close the inning. The Saxons went three up, three down in all other innings as no one registered a hit on the day.
 
Junior Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) pitched all six innings for the Saxons as she recorded eight strikeouts on the day. St. John Fisher managed seven hits off of Wilcox while all three runs were earned.
 
Defensively, the Saxons were led by Staub with nine putouts while Krawczyk recorded seven. Lugo led AU with three assists while Murray and Tati Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy) both had two.
 
The Saxons will play the loser of Friday's second game between first-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology and fourth-seeded Nazareth College on Saturday at 1:30PM.