ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team dropped a pair of home games to fellow regionally-ranked University of Rochester during a non-conference doubleheader from Harrington Field.
 
The Saxons (20-12, 8-2 Empire 8) fell in both games, 5-4 to the Yellowjackets (23-7, 8-2 Liberty League), despite late offensive pushes and defensive stands.
 
"Today was a good day in many areas of our game, but some mental mistakes kept us from pulling out a victory over one of the top teams in the region," Head Coach Luke Wesneski said. "Great pitching performances and some clutch hitting, but we left too many people on base and we need to clean up some of our base-running miscues and stop giving teams four outs in an inning. Overall, I am happy with the fight I saw today, but we just need to keep getting stronger and play cleaner games, as the season is winding down."
 
Game One
Alfred University – 4 | University of Rochester – 5
 
The Yellowjackets got off to the 1-0 start in the first inning with a single to right field and then made it a 2-0 game in the top of the third with a sacrificed fly. They then tacked on two runs in the top of the fifth inning before the Saxons got on the board. Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) drove home Mya Wells (San Ramon, CA/California) with a single up the middle for the first AU run. Paris Guzman (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) singled to center field to bring home pinch runner, Ty Thomas (Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook) and Neto for the 4-3, Rochester-leading score.
 
U. of R. scored what would ultimately be the game-winning run in the top of the sixth with another sacrificed fly. Wells flied out to center field which gave Delaney Prather (North East, PA/North East) time to tag up and cross home plate, making it a 5-4 game.
 
In the top of the seventh, with Rochester looking to add some security runs, Megan Bennett (Athens, PA/Athens Area) struck out the first batter, and the dropped third strike gave catcher Isabella Orozco (Burbank, CA/Village Christian) the chance to make sure the out was made with a tag. Bennett made the next U. of R. batter strike out looking and Orozco caught the third batter's foul pop up to end the top of the inning. All three Saxon batters flew out to the outfield to close out the game.
 
Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) was the only batter to register two hits, going 2-for-4. Prather had the lone, extra bases hit with a triple that set her up for her run. Bennett had a game-high seven strikeouts while Saxon batters only struck out twice.
 
Game Two
Alfred University – 4 | University of Rochester – 5
 
The Yellowjackets got out to an early, 1-0 lead again in the top of the first with a single up the middle. Neto tied the game when Kody Watson (Flagstaff, AZ/Coconino) flew out to left field, allowing her time to run home and hurdle over the catcher's glove to be safe at the plate. Rochester tacked two runs on in the top of the first with a sacrificed fly and an unearned run.
 
Neto had a sacrificed fly in the bottom of the inning to keep the score within one, bringing home Vidal for an unearned run.
 
Two more Yellowjacket unearned runs in the top of the fourth put the game away as the fourth and fifth runs scored by the visitors, despite Guzman hitting a two-run, home run in the bottom of the fifth, bringing home pinch runner Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East).
 
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) and her defense held the Yellowjackets to three, consecutive scoreless innings to end the game but a last push in the seventh from the Saxon bats fell short of forcing extra innings at the minimum. Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) reached first to open the inning off an error by the first base player, dropping a pass from the second base player. Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) sac-bunted Remm to second base. Unfortunately, that would be as far as she would go after a ground out to third and a swinging strikeout.
 
Gatza had two hits for the Saxons, tying for a game-high. Only one Rochester player had two hits as well.
 
The Saxons will next return to Empire 8 action for their final two E8 doubleheaders. First, they travel to Houghton University on Saturday, April 27 for games at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Then, they return to Harrington Field for Senior Day against Elmira College the next day, same game times.