ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team split with St. John Fisher University on Thursday evening from Harrington Field in Empire 8 action.
 
The Saxons (18-6, 9-3 Empire 8) fought back in game one to pick up an eight-inning win on a walk-off double, 7-6 before falling short of another comeback in the nightcap, 9-5 to the Cardinals (18-11, 10-2 Empire 8). "Another slow start today in both games, but we were able to get the bats going, play with some heart and intensity, and ended up with the huge walk-off in game one," Head Coach Luke Wesneski said. "There was no quit in the girls today even when we didn't have our best stuff in game two. We are able to take a lot away from this doubleheader and I hope that carries over to tomorrow."
 
Game One – Eight Innings
Alfred University – 7 | St. John Fisher University  – 6
 
Fisher held the lead for the entire game until the bottom of the seventh inning when Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) crossed the plate, making it 6-6 off of a Paris Guzman (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) double to left field. The Saxons earned their first lead of the day and the walk-off win when Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) doubled to left center field to send Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) home…from first base!
 
AU faced an early, 5-0 deficit after the Cardinals posted three runs in the top of the first inning and another two in the top of the third. Remm and Vidal connected for the first of three runs of the day the duo put up, as Remm doubled to center field to bring Vidal home in the bottom of the third. Remm crossed home herself when Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) singled up the middle, making it a 5-2 lead.
 
Fisher added one more run in the top of the fifth.
 
Remm hit the day's first home run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 6-3 game. Whitmyer scored her first run when Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) was credited with a sacrificed flyout. Remm and Vidal teamed up again in the bottom of the sixth inning with a Remm single up the middle to make it a 6-5 game, just before Guzman and Gatza tied the game in the seventh and Remm and Vidal combined for the game-winner.
 
Remm was a perfect, 5-for-5 with four RBI and two runs in the first game. Gatza went 3-for-4, following Remm.
 
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) picked up her 12^th win of the season (12-1) with seven strikeouts, in her longest game inside of the circle, surpassing her previous collegiate career-high number of pitches (108) with 159 pitches thrown as she faced batters 42 times.
 
Game Two
Alfred University – 5 | St. John Fisher University  – 9
 
St. John Fisher put up runs in each of the first four innings to pick up the nightcap win, despite the Saxons fighting back, both offensively and defensively. The Cardinals put three runs up on the board in the first inning. Remm crossed home first for AU off a Gatza single up the middle in the bottom of the inning, just before Gatza scoring when Guzman also singled up the middle, keeping the score close, 3-2 in favor of the visitors.
 
Remm scored in the bottom of the third inning when Gatza grounded out. Ty Thomas (Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook) reached first on a fielder's choice but earned the RBI as Neto scored in the bottom of the fourth. The Saxons put one more run up in the bottom of the seventh off a Gatza homer.
 
The Saxons out-hit the Cardinals in the second game, 13-6 as Remm went 3-for-4 while Gatza, Guzman and Neto all went 2-for-4. Delaney Prather (North East, PA/North East) pitched the most innings, staying in the circle for 3.2 innings while striking out two batters and giving up no runs.
 
The Saxons will next travel to Utica, NY to play two E8 doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, April 18-19. Friday's DH is at Utica University while Saturday's is at SUNY Poly.