ALFRED, NY – The No. 1 seeded Alfred University softball team defeated No. 2 seeded St. John Fisher College, 9-0 on Saturday afternoon to capture it's second Empire 8 Softball Championship Title in a row.

 

The 2022 Empire 8 Softball Champion Saxons (25-14) shut the Cardinals (18-19) down in Game Seven of the tournament in six innings, implementing the eight-after-five mercy rule. Sophomore Megan Bennett (Athens, PA/Athens Area) went the distance in the circle to pick up her second win of the tournament and seventh on the season as she was promptly named the Empire 8 Softball Tournament Most Valuable Player during the award ceremonies. She struck out seven batters in six innings and only walked one while giving up five hits.
 
The Saxons faced three pitchers from St. John Fisher and were only struck out once while totaling eight hits. "To win an Empire 8 championship is great, but to do it back-to-back, is just unbelievable determination and perseverance from our players! I am so proud of them," Head Coach Luke Wesneski said. "They could have packed it in after game one, but they didn't! They fought hard and persevered and I am so happy for them and their hard work! They earned this and no one can ever take that away from them. We were told we would be a good team, but had no pitching - I am sure people are second guessing that now. Last I checked, we had the best ERA in the conference."
 
Mya Wells (San Ramon, CA/California) was credited with the game-winning RBI and run when she solo-homered to right field in the top of the fourth inning, long enough for the ball to land in the Canacadea Creek about 10 yards past the 190 marker on the fence.
 
Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) led the Saxon bats, going 3-for-4. She had two RBI on the day while Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, CA/John F. Kennedy) added three, going 1-for-3 and Wells totaled a weekend-high four RBI, going 2-for-4.
 
With Wells hitting the home run in the fourth, the Saxon offense opened the flood gates in the top of the fifth inning, scoring six more runs where all six were unearned due to one error by the Cardinal defense. Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) got on base with a single up the middle. Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, CA/Birmingham Community Charter) sacrificed bunted O'Toole to second for the second out of the inning. Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills) walked to get runners on first and second. Molly Lawson (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Trabuco Hills) also walked to load the bases, still with two outs. Wells hit a ground ball to the Cardinal short stop but it was mishandled as O'Toole scored, making it 2-0. Neto singled down the left field line, bringing Lugo and Lawson home. After a quick pitching change, Mejia hit a home run of her own down the left field line and into Alfred's batting cage, clearing the bases as Wells and Neto crossed home plate for the 7-0 lead.
 
Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon) and Carrillo scored the eighth and ninth runs for Alfred in the sixth inning, establishing the eight-run rule when Wells doubled to right center field.
 
The Cardinals made a last-ditched effort in the bottom of the sixth as they had runners on third and second with no outs. Lugo threw out the third base runner after scooping a ground ball to protect the shutout as no runners advanced from second or first. O'Toole caught a fly ball in shallow right field, also preventing any advancement on the bases before Bennett got her seventh strikeout of the game, getting the third strike, looking.
 
The Saxons will next look toward the NCAA Division III Regionals with the Selection Show scheduled to air on Monday, May 9 at 1:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) on NCAA.com.
 
Like last year's Empire 8 Tournament, AU stayed in the winner's bracket all the way until Game Six, falling to Fisher, 4-3 before turning it around in Game Seven for the 7-5 win. This is the first time in school history that the Saxon softball team has won the title in back-to-back years. It's only the third time in school history that Alfred University has had back-to-back champions as the men's swimming & diving team won it three years in a row in '07, '08 and '09 and football won it in '09 and '10. Coach Wesneski is also the first softball coach to have two Empire 8 titles.