HOUGHTON, NY – The Alfred University softball team swept local Houghton University in a road Empire 8 doubleheader on Tuesday evening.
 
The Saxons (21-7, 12-4 Empire 8) picked up a their 11^th five-inning win of the season, defeating the Highlanders (6-22, 1-13 Empire 8) 9-0 in the opener. They went on to earn a seven-run win over the Highlanders in game two, 13-6.
 
Game One – Five Innings
Houghton University – 0 | Alfred University  – 9
 
The Saxons had the game in the bag in the first inning as Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) stole third and because of a bad throw, rounded and scored the opening run of the day for the 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The runs that followed were all batted in.
 
Vidal picked up the RBI in the top of the second when she singled to first base, sending Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) home for the 2-0 lead. Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) drove in Delaney Prather (North East, PA/North East) to make it 3-0, but on the same play, Vidal booked it around the bases to score again, upping the score to 4-0.
 
The Saxons scored five more times in the top of the fourth inning, with four doubles and a single to close it out. Remm doubled to left field to bring home Prather. Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) brought Remm home with a double to left field, right before Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) doubled to center field to score Whitmyer. Gatza scored off a double from Ally Boulger (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) that went out to left field. The final run was scored when Wark singled to the Highlander shortstop, bringing home Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter).
 
AU totaled 14 hits in the game with five doubles. Vidal totaled three stolen bases while Remm and Prather added one each. Neto was hit-by-pitch twice and would go on to tie the Alfred University school record by getting hit again in the second game. The record she tied was the career hit-by-pitch tag, having been hit-by-pitch 38 times in her career, tying Dana Torchia '16.
 
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) only gave up three hits while striking out batters seven times to pick up her 14^th win of the year.
 
Game Two
Houghton University – 6 | Alfred University  – 13
 
The Saxons started out strong, offensively as Vidal scored the first run again off a Whitmyer RBI ground out to third. Gatza made it a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when she solo-homered. Boulger doubled to left field to bring home Neto for the 3-0 lead after the first half inning.
 
Houghton responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take their first lead of the game, 4-3. Remm earned the sacrifice on her flyout to center field to bring home Sabrina Diaz (West Palm Beach, FL/Forest Hill) before Houghton took their final lead in the bottom of the second inning with a single RBI.
 
Boulger tacked on another double to score Neto in the top of the third, before Diaz earned a sacrificed fly to right field, bringing home Boulger, making it a 6-5 Alfred lead. Whitmyer doubled to right field to bring home Remm in the fourth inning, right before opening the scoring floodgates in the top of the sixth inning.
 
Boulger picked up another RBI with a single to center field, bringing home Alexis Martinez (Anaheim, CA/Woodbridge), making it an 8-5 lead for the Saxons. Darby McEnery (Corona, CA/Norco) reached first on an error by the Houghton second base player, picking up two RBI as Boulger and Wark scored on the play. McEnery came home on a double to left field from Prather, upping the score to an 11-5 lead for AU.
 
Neto hit a home run to left center field to bring home Gatza right before Houghton tried coming back, ending the game with a Saxon 13-6 victory.
 
Of the 15 Saxon hits, six of them were doubles and two were home runs. Vidal, Boulger, Diaz and McEnery each recorded stolen bases in the win as well. Steward came in to relief in the first inning and recorded 10 strikeouts for her second win of the day, and now holds a 15-1 record inside of the pitching circle.
 
The Saxons will next travel to Elmira College on Friday, April 25 for an E8 doubleheader with the first game slotted to start at 3:00pm.