CLERMONT, Fla. – Senior hurler
Jessica Wilcox (Forrestville, NY/Pine Valley) is the Alfred University softball team's all-time leader in strikeouts, leading the Saxons to a pair of wins in day two of THE Spring Games, held at the Hancock Recreational Complex Monday evening.
Alfred gets on the board in 2020, improving to 2-2 after a 10-0 win in game one against Penn State-Hazleton (1-2) and an 8-4 triumph against D'Youville (5-1) in game two.
Wilcox entered the day tied with Brittany Curran '06, holding 347 career strikeouts. She only needed one batter to set the record, striking out Penn State-Hazleton batter Jessica Hess on three pitches to set the new mark. She finished the day with 11 strikeouts as she sits with 358 for her career.
"Today was a much better day both offensively and defensively," said head coach
Luke Wesneski. "I felt like we showed up to play and had high energy all day, which resulted in two wins. Great effort from our pitchers today and we came up with some timely hits. Big congrats to Jess Wilcox for breaking the all-time strikeout record. She is a true Saxon and this is a well-deserved honor."
GAME ONE
Wilcox spun a one-hit gem over three innings with six strikeouts for her first victory of the season (1-1). The offense picked up her up in a big way, scoring 10 runs in the five-inning affair. In the first inning,
Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) got the party started with a single up the middle, eventually scoring on an
Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) RBI single. The next batter,
Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Beach Union), reached on an error by the third baseman, scoring
Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford). The Saxons finished the three-run inning with a bases-loaded walk by
Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy).
The second inning was much of the same, as Guitron knocked in an RBI double and Ceja drilled a 2-RBI double to left center, doubling the lead to 6-0.
Lila Murray (North Harford, MD/North Harford) wrapped up the inning with an RBI double to right center, as the Saxons entered the third with a 7-0 lead.
In the third, an error by the Hazleton shortstop gave Alfred its eighth and ninth run of the game. Murray then hit a two-out single up the middle, scoring Ceja for the 10
th and final run.
It was more than enough offense for both Wilcox and
Arden Hatch (Orangevale, CA/St. Francis). Hatch pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four to finish the shutout run-rule win.
The Saxons tallied 10 hits in game one. Lugo and Murray both went 3-for-3, with Lugo scoring thrice and Murray driving in two runs. Lugo also added four stolen bases for the second consecutive game. Guitron went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI. Ceja and Flint also added hits.
GAME TWO
Game two against previously undefeated D'Youville started out like game one, with Wilcox dealing early and the Saxon offense scoring early. AU got three runs in the top of the first, thanks to RBI knocks by Guitron and
Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley), and a Guitron unearned run off a D'Youville error. Smart base-running and solid situational awareness at the plate contributed to runs in the third and fourth inning, as the Saxons took a 5-0 lead.
The Saxons ran into trouble in the later innings, as D'Youville scored its first run in the fifth, and added three in a tense sixth. With the tying run on second base and two outs, reliever
Moreta Dyke (Milesburg, PA/Bald Eagle Area) held the Spartans at bay, retiring the next two batters to end the pressure-packed frame.
AU responded in the seventh to put a bit of distance between the two teams. Lugo and
Alana Eaton (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post), and Guitron singled with one out to load the bases, then Ceja drew a walk to score a run. The next two batters, O'Toole and Mejia, hit RBI singles to take an 8-4 lead. Dyke later finished the game in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the team victory.
The Saxons once again tallied 10 hits in game two. Eaton, Guitron, and Mejia each tallied two hits, while O'Toole, Lugo, and Ceja each had one. O'Toole drove in three runs and Lugo, Eaton, and Guitron each scored twice. Lugo tallied another stolen base and now has eight in four contests. In the circle, Wilcox pitched another four scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out five batters. Hatch gave up one earned in 1.1 innings, and Dyke earned the five-out save (1), giving up just two hits.
The Saxons will take on Bridgewater State and Manhattanville College on day three of THE Spring Games, at 4:15 and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
