ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team swept a pair of non-conference games against Penn State Behrend on Thursday evening at Harrington Field.
 
The Saxons (9-3, 0-0 Empire 8) now have six victories that ended with the mercy rule, eight-run rule as they defeated the Lions (5-11, 0-0 AMCC) 10-2 and 16-3, both in five innings. "We started hot in both games today and that's always a big factor for us," Head Coach Luke Wesneski said. "We were able to knock some rust off today and the bats stayed hot from our trip down south. Hats off to Kendall [Steward] and Brie [Wark] for hitting their first collegiate home runs and it was also Brie's birthday so that even made it more special. Pitching was solid and the girls played hard, we're looking forward to our first conference games tomorrow and hopefully bring the same enthusiasm to that doubleheader as we brought today."
 
Game One (5 Innings)
Alfred University – 10 | Penn State Behrend – 2
 
The Saxons out-hit the Lions, 14-2 and were first on the scoreboard when Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) scored off a Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) double to left center field. Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) put the game essentially out of reach when she hit her third home run of the season that drove Remm home to make it 2-0 before she crossed home plate for the 3-0 lead.
 
Behrend scored two runs in the top of the second off of wild pitches but that was the last bit of momentum the Lions would see, offensively.
 
Destiny Avila (Long Beach, CA/St. Anthony) singled through the Lions' left side of their infield to score Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) for the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
 
The bottom of the fourth inning is where the Saxons' bats launched them to a five-inning victory, putting up six runs on five hits with only one runner stranded on base. Remm opened the inning with a homer to right field. Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) was safe at first after a bunt forced the pitcher for PS-Behrend to decide to try to get Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) out at home, but was unsuccessful, putting up a 6-2 lead for AU. Steward connected on a pitch to clear the bases when she hit her first collegiate home run to left field, bringing home Sabrina Diaz (West Palm Beach, FL/Forest Hill) and Neto to make it a 9-2 lead. Avila was the last Saxon to cross home plate in the opening game as she scored on a Vidal ground out to second base.
 
Steward was not only a perfect, 3-for-3 from the plate with three RBI and two runs, but also picked up her sixth win of the season inside of the pitcher's circle. She struck out five batters and only needed 78 pitches to get the 'W'.
 
Remm added a double to her stat line along with Alexis Martinez (Anaheim, CA/Woodbridge). Vidal, Wark and Diaz all recorded stolen bases in the game.
 
Game Two (5 Innings)
Alfred University – 16 | Penn State Behrend – 3
 
The Saxons, just like in Game One, put up what would go on to be the game-winning run early in the game, this time, it came off of the first scoring play of the bottom of the second inning. Gatza recorded an RBI when she drove Remm home in the bottom of the first for the opening score. Neto sent Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) home with a single to left field to make it a 2-0 lead before ending the inning.
 
The game-winning run was put up on the board when Whitmyer doubled to right center field to bring home Martinez, Avila and Remm, making it a 5-0 lead that Penn State would not be able to come back from. Neto hit another single to left field to score Whitmyer just before Ally Boulger (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) singled to center field to bring home Gatza. Both runs were unearned. The Lions put one run on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning before the Saxons went on another spree in the bottom of the inning.
 
Wark recorded her home run to center field, almost putting the ball into the Canacadea Creek to score Avila for the 9-1 lead. Eileen Hein (Chicago, IL/Loyola Academy) put a shot to the right foot of the Penn State pitcher, giving her time to get to first safely and Vidal time to score. Gatza singled to left field to bring home Ty Thomas (Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook), making it an 11-1 game. Boulger reached first on a fielder's choice, but earned the RBI when Hein crossed home plate when the pitcher made a bad throw. Diaz ended the inning with a double to right field but was out on the play when she attempted to take third, but not before earning three RBI with Gatza, Neto and Boulger all scoring on the play, putting AU up 15-1.
 
After two Lions runs were put on the board in the top of the fourth inning, making it a 15-3 game for AU, Darby McEnery (Corona, CA/Norco) ended the scoring on Thursday when she singled to left field and then proceeded to advance to second on a wild pitch, to third by stealing it and finally to home on another wild pitch. A ground out to third, a fouled pop fly to Hein at first base and another grounder to third closed the game and secured the sweep for AU.
 
Loretta Sorochty (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame Batavia) earned her third win of the season with one strikeout on 35 pitches. Boulger came in for relief to pitch two innings with one strikeout as well.
 
The Saxons will next travel to Nazareth University on Friday, March 28 to open Empire 8 play at 3:00pm and 5:00pm.