ALFRED, NY – A big-time blast by first-year catcher Mya Wells (San Ramon, CA/California) and record-setting pitching by graduate Jessica Wilcox (Forrestville, NY/Pine Valley) propelled the Alfred University softball team to an 8-1 upset victory over No. 22 Geneseo, in the season opener at Harrington Field Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Saxons (1-0) defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since defeating then- No. 10 Ithaca by a 2-0 score on April 4, 2019. Geneseo (2-1) drops its first game of the season.
 
"We are excited to beat a team like Geneseo," Head Coach Luke Wesneski. "This is a team that was just two years removed from an NCAA Super Regional and they always have a well-coached team. Our kids came out ready to play and scored right away, and that's our goal. We know our defense and pitching will help us, so we just have to keep the pressure on offensively. We were super aggressive on the basepaths and we didn't get away from that. Good first win for the ladies."
 
Wells' first collegiate at-bat was a big one, as she sent a 0-1 pitch deep into right center field in the bottom of the first inning. She finished 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.
 
"I'm really excited for Mya," Wesneski said. "Her first college hit was a bomb and I love the fact that she was sprinting around the bases; she didn't even realize that the ball went over!"
 
Junior shortstop Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) and sophomore outfielder Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, CA/Birmingham Community Charter) each finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Lugo also stole three bases and drove in a run. Junior third baseman Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy) also finished with two hits, driving one in and scoring another. Junior outfielder Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) also drove in a run, off a 1-for-3 performance.
 
The offense was more than enough for Wilcox (1-0), who struck out 14 batters, tying her own school record in the process. She has struck out 14 on two different occasions: against Sage on April 20, 2018, and again against St. John Fisher on April 13, 2019. She allowed one earned run on four hits in six innings pitched to notch her 37^th career victory, moving her into a tie for second place on the all-time wins list with Nicole Hedrick '12.
 
"Jess came to play like she always does," Wesneski said. "We got the performance we expect out of her, and it's also what she expects of herself."
 
Rachel Mihlstin led the Knights with two hits, scoring the team's lone run. Mattie Woodward (0-1) took the loss, giving up six earned runs on six hits, striking out a batter in 3.1 innings pitched. Mattie Klein pitched in relief, allowing one unearned run off four hits in 2.2 innings.
 
The Saxons utilized a five-run first inning to jump all over the Knights, capped by the Wells home run. In the second, a wild Mihlstin pitch scored Carrillo, as the Saxons took a 6-0 lead. In the fourth, Lugo drove in sophomore second baseman Molly Lawson (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Trabuco Hills) with a one-out single up the middle. After Lugo stole second and third, she scored on a throwing error by the catcher, increasing Alfred's lead to seven.
 
Geneseo got on the board in the top of the sixth inning, as Lauren Gulick hit a shot to deep left center, the ball going over the outfielder's head for a one-out, RBI double. The Saxons would respond in the bottom of the frame, as Carrillo scored on another throwing error after stealing third base.
 
Game two was canceled.
 
The Saxons will hit the road for the next four games, beginning with a doubleheader at RIT on Thursday, beginning at 3 p.m.