ALFRED, NY – It was a team effort for the Alfred University softball team, which scored 18 runs and set a pair of records in a doubleheader sweep of Keuka College, in Empire 8 action from Harrington Field on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
 
The Saxons (16-5, 7-3 Empire 8) took both ends of the doubleheader by 4-0 and 14-2 scores. Keuka drops to 3-7 overall and 2-6 in Empire 8 action. With the sweep, Alfred has now won six straight games. After starting the conference season 1-3, the Saxons sit just two games back in the loss column behind both conference leader St. John Fisher (14-2, 9-1 Empire 8) and second-place Sage (7-1, 7-1 Empire 8), with four combined contests left to play against the two teams.
 
Graduate pitcher Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, NY/Pine Valley) was near untouchable in game one as she stymied the Wolves with a one-hitter, striking out 14 batters in the complete game effort to improve to 8-2 on the season. The shutout, the 15^th of her stellar career, ties her atop the AU all-time list with Chelsey Carey '11.
 
Junior infielder Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) stole four bases in the afternoon twin bill, setting a season record with 29. She passes Liz Thompson '17 for the season mark and sits just two stolen bases away from tying Thompson's career mark of 68, which is also an Empire 8 record.
 
"I'm glad to see the bats stay hot from game two yesterday," said head coach Luke Wesneski. "When we are doing the little things well, we can play our style of softball. We are working on a few things and it was nice to see them improve in those areas today. Congratulations to Jess and Ashley on achieving a few more career milestones and hopefully we have more to come. I'm looking forward a busy upcoming week of conference play."
 
GAME ONE
 
The Saxon bats struck early and often, with six hits in the first three innings. Unfortunately, Keuka was able to escape damage each time, leaving multiple ducks on the pond in each inning.
 
That all changed in the fourth inning. After sophomore infielder Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, CA/Birmingham Community Charter) reached on an error, she skated home two batters later on a run-scoring double by junior outfielder Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) for the game's opening run. The next batter, junior utility Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) brought Guitron home with an RBI single up the middle for the 2-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lugo led off with a single, before stealing second. Guitron then reached on an error by the second baseman, scoring Lugo from second base. Three batters later, junior infielder Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy) reached first on the second error of the inning, scoring Guitron from third to give the Saxons a 4-0 lead heading into the final inning. Wilcox ran into slight trouble in the seventh, with two hit batsmen pushing a runner into scoring position with two outs, but the graduate pitcher collected herself, striking out Keuka's Samantha Cook to complete the milestone shutout.
 
The Saxons tallied 11 hits in game one, led by a 3-for-4 afternoon by graduate infielder Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Beach Union). Lugo, Guitron, and O'Toole tallied hits.
 
 
GAME TWO
 
Three Saxon errors led to a pair of Keuka runs to open game two, which was capped off by a two-out, RBI single by Kelsey Mohl.
 
AU responded in the bottom of the inning with a season-best eight runs. With the bases loaded and no outs, junior infielder Mya Wells (San Ramon, CA/California) singled through the right side, driving in two runs to tie the game. Three batters later and with the bases loaded with one out, junior infielder Mara Moore (Torrance, CA/West) cleared the bases with a three-RBI double as the Saxons took a 5-2 lead.
 
The Saxons weren't done yet. The next batter, sophomore outfielder Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, CA/Birmingham Community Charter) hit a comebacker to the pitcher that she overthrew by a wide margin, as Carrillo turned on the jets and skated around the bases for an exciting run. Lugo ended the inning with the Saxons' eighth run on a passed ball.
 
AU added to the lead in a big way in the second inning. Wells opened the inning with a single, and eventually scored after Carrillo reached first on another error. Consecutive walks drawn by Lugo and Guitron gave the Saxons a 10-3 lead, before Mejia cleared the bases with a double to left center field, scoring three runs for a 13-2 lead. In the fourth inning, senior outfielder Gillian Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) tallied the Saxons' final run, driving in her first RBI of the season after Lugo led the inning off with a double and the record-breaking stolen base.
 
The Saxons tallied 12 hits to compete the sweep. Mejia led the way, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored. Wells, Lugo, and Guitron each tallied two hits, with Lugo scoring thrice while adding three stolen bases. Moore and first year infielders Raygan Wescott (Taft, CA/Taft Union) and Alexa Woluewich (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream) each tallied a hit.
 
First year pitcher Megan Bennett (Athens, PA/Athens Area) and her counterpart, sophomore Arden Hatch (Orangevale, CA/St. Francis) combined to allow just two runs, none earned, on five hits in the five-inning victory, adding five strikeouts. Bennett, the winning pitcher, improved to 5-1 on the season.
 
The Saxons will return to action on Tuesday, hosting Nazareth for a pair of games beginning at 3 p.m.