GENESEO, NY – The Alfred University softball team dropped a non-conference double-header to regional power, SUNY Geneseo on Wednesday evening.
 
The Saxons (5-8, 0-0 Empire 8) went the distance in a 10-inning outing, falling 7-6 before reversing gears and was edged in a score-free shootout, ending with the 1-0 loss. The Knights (9-2, 0-0 SUNYAC) played their first games of the 2022 season in New York, having just finished their Florida trip, having played in the same tournament as AU.
 
Game One
Alfred University – 6  |  SUNY Geneseo – 7
 
The Saxons held the lead after the top of the fifth inning, 3-1 before a Knight two-run home run and a two RBI double in the bottom of the fifth shifted the momentum in the hosts favor, 5-3. AU responded in the top of the sixth to tie the game at five runs each as Molly Lawson (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Trabuco Hills) crossed home when Geneseo's first baseman made an error that allowed Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) to take up place on first. Lugo stole to second base which put her in a better place to get home when Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) singled to left field, knotting the scoreboard up.
 
The game's runs wouldn't change until the top of the 10^th inning when Darby McEnery (Corona, CA/Norco) got to first base on a fielder's choice but was credited with the RBI as Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, CA/Birmingham Community Charter) crossed home plate, starting the inning at second base with the international tiebreaker rule. Lawson sacrificed bunted Carrillo to third that put her in scoring position. Geneseo closed out the game with a single to center field to bring home the tying run and then got the walk-off double during the next at-bat.
 
Lugo scored the game's first run on a throwing error by the Knight's third baseman in the top of the first inning. Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) smacked the Saxons' first home run of the season as she put one over the left field fence in the top of the second for the 2-1 lead. Neto crossed home for the second time of the night in the top of the fourth off of another error by a Geneseo player, as the pitcher made the throwing mistake when McEnery grounded one to the circle.
 
Neto was the only Saxons with more than one hit as she went 2-for-5 with two hits, two runs and an RBI. Lugo tacked on another two stolen bases to her career tally while McEnery added a steal as well. Arden Hatch (Orangevale, CA/St. Francis) got the start in the circle as she pitched 4.0 innings with six strikeouts, five hits and four walks along with two wild pitches and three pegged batters. Megan Bennett (Athens, PA/Athens Area) came in for relief for five strikeouts, six hits, one wild pitch and one batter hit as she was credited with the loss.
 
Game Two
Alfred University – 0  |  SUNY Geneseo – 1
 
Mikaela Perez (Pomona, CA/Diamond Ranch) got the start to pitch for AU as she pitched all six innings, giving up six hits, two walks and two wild pitches with the one earned run in the bottom of the third while striking out one batter. Both teams' bats were quiet in comparison to the first game, with AU only getting three hits in the nightcap.
 
Lawson, Lugo and Guitron recorded those hits for the Saxons. Lugo's hit came in the first at-bat of the game, singling to right field and stealing second during the next batter, but a pop up to the pitcher and back-to-back groundouts closed the potential scoring inning out.
 
Alfred got another runner on the bases as Lawson walked but with two outs already, a swinging strikeout ended the inning. Neto walked in the top of the fifth with Carrillo stepping in to run for her, but three outs in a row kept runners from ever getting to second base in the inning. AU's last scoring opportunity was when Lawson singled to center on a two-out situation and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. A groundout to second base closed out the game.
 
The Saxons will next open up Empire 8 play as they travel to Russell Sage College on Friday, April 1 in Albany, NY for a double-header at 5:00pm with the second expected to start around 7:00pm.