EAU CLAIRE, WIS. – One down, two to go!
 
Graduate pitcher Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, N.Y./Pine Valley) twirled a one-hit gem and timely hitting by the No. 17 Alfred University softball team powered it to a 3-0 victory over Piedmont (Ga.) in the opening game of the NCAA Softball Regional Championships, held at the Bollinger Fields on the campus of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Friday afternoon.
 
The Saxons (32-9), ranked 17th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings and seeded second in this tournament, advance to Saturday's action and they will face a familiar foe in No. 8 Linfield (Ore.) at 1 p.m. EST. Alfred and Linfield have met just once, in the 2015 Division III Women's College World Series. Piedmont (22-12), the fifth seed, will face sixth-seeded Illinois College in an elimination contest Friday evening.
 
Wilcox was electric in her start, fighting through the humid and wet conditions to keep Piedmont without a hit through the first 5 1/3 innings. Her no-hit bid was finally broken up in the sixth inning, on a bunt down the first base line by Rebekah Stegmayer. With runners at first and second base and two outs, Wilcox pitched her way out of trouble, forcing a groundout to end the inning. Needing three outs for the victory, Wilcox gave up a leadoff walk, but stuck out the next three batters to end the contest.
 
Wilcox (18-4) mowed down 12 Lions batters to pitch a complete game shutout, her 10^th shutout of the season and 22^nd of her career. Her 18 victories are tied for second-all time for a single season, as she joins Chelsey Cary '11 in 2010 and Ilana Price in 2007. She's one victory away from the record-setting mark, which is held by Nicole Hedrick '12 in the 2010 season.
 
Offensively, the Saxons got an early boost by junior infielder Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, Calif./Oak Hills), who tallied her 50^th stolen base of the season after a leadoff single.
 
The Saxons struck first in the third inning. A leadoff single by senior outfielder Sydney Saucedo (Whittier, Calif./La Serna) hit and a walk by sophomore outfielder Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, Calif./Birmingham Community Charter) set the table for junior outfielder Alyssa Guitron's (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) sacrifice fly to score a run. The next batter, junior infielder Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, Calif./John F. Kennedy) laced an RBI single to give the Saxons a 2-0 lead.
 
The Saxons would add to the lead in the sixth inning. A leadoff walk by Guitron got the Saxons going, and Mejia moved her over with a bunt to set up the opportunity for first year infielder Mya Wells (San Ramon, Calif./California). Wells singled through the right side past the second baseman, scoring Guitron for the 3-0 lead.
 
The Saxons tallied five hits in the game, as Lugo, Mejia, Wells, Saucedo, and graduate infielder Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Beach Union) tallied a hit apiece.

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