ONEONTA, NY – The Alfred University softball team swept Hartwick College in an Empire 8 doubleheader on Friday evening with both games not going the full, seven-inning schedule.
 
The Saxons (11-9, 5-3 Empire 8) started the evening with a 12-1, six-inning victory over the Hawks (1-20, 0-7 Empire 8). They then ended it with an 11-0 no-hitter shutout win in five innings.
 
Game One (Six Innings)
Alfred University – 12 | Hartwick College – 1
 
The Saxons totaled five home runs in the outing with the first being the first score of the game as Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) hit a solo shot in the top of the second inning. Destiny Avila (Long Beach, CA/St. Anthony) hit her second homer of the season as she drove home Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) for a 3-0 lead after the second inning.
 
Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) swung at the first pitch in the top of the third to sail one out over the outfield fence, bringing home Bella Mistretta (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield Secondary) for a 5-0 lead after two and a half innings. The Hawks scored their only run in the bottom of the third inning with a home run.
 
AU put two more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Mistretta singled to right field, allowing both Paris Guzman (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) and Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) to score.
 
In the next inning, Taylor Carlson (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach) scored off a sacrificed flyout by Vidal to make it an 8-1 Saxon lead. The Saxons piled four more runs onto the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning. Alexis Martinez (Anaheim, CA/Woodbridge) scored the first run when Whitmyer singled to left field. [Kendall] Steward had her second homer of the game, smacking one out over the center field fence to bring Whitmyer home. Carlson ended the scoring spree with a solo home run to left field for her first collegiate homer.
 
Ava Galvan (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) picked up the win inside of the pitcher's circle. She pitched 4.0 innings and retired seven batters while only giving up two hits. Loretta Sorochty (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame Batavia) pitched the final 2.0 innings and gave up two hits. In the bottom of the sixth, with Hartwick needing four runs to force a seventh inning, the Hawks grounded out to Mistretta at shortstop, singled to center field, popped up to Avila and flew out to Carlson, ending the game with the 12-1 Saxon advantage.
 
[Kendall] Steward led the Saxon bats with a 3-for-4 showing, recording three RBI and scoring twice. Whitmyer added three RBI on her 2-for-3 performance with two runs of her own. Mistretta and Avila each had two RBI. The entire batting lineup recorded at least one run each.
 
Game Two
Alfred University – 11 | Hartwick College – 0
 
[Kendall] Steward and Carlson had a combined no-hitter after only facing batters 16 times with only one walk each, no wild pitches and no hit-by-pitch runners. [Kendall] Steward struck out batters four times and Carlson struck out the game's final Hartwick batter for the third and final out.
 
The Saxons struck early with a 2-0 lead after the first frame as Martinez reached home when Whitmyer grounded out to second and Mistretta scored when [Kendall] Steward singled to right field. Sadie Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) scored next for the Saxons when Vidal singled on a bunt in the top of the second inning. Vidal reached home with a Martinez double down the right field line to make it a 4-0 lead.
 
AU put five more runs on the board in the top of the third inning. [Kendall] Steward scored on an error by the Hawks' catcher. Guzman scored when Samantha Wendig (Exton, PA/Downingtown East) singled to center field who late reached home with a Martinez single to center field. Both Vidal and Martinez scored runs with a Whitmyer double to left center field to close out the inning.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, Sorochty grounded out but earned the RBI with Caroline Courson (Erie, CO/Erie) scoring on the bases-loaded play. [Sadie] Steward scored the Saxons' 11^th run on a wild pitch.
 
The Saxon defense was incredible down the stretch as in the fourth inning, with only one out on the board, a Hartwick player grounded out to [Sadie] Steward at third base who rifled a throw to Eileen Hein (Chicago, IL/Loyola Academy) at first base, who then threw back to third base where shortstop Mistretta was waiting for the double-play. Although the Hartwick runner was safe at third, as she stood up, Mistretta noticed she was no longer touching the base and tagged her out to exit the inning.
 
Then, in the bottom of the fifth and would-be final inning, three Hartwick batters stepped into the box and no more as the first and second grounded out to Mistretta and the third struck out swinging on Carlson's fifth and final pitch.
 
The Saxons totaled 11 hits as both Vidal and Martinez registered two each while both scored two runs and Martinez driving in two runs compared to Vidal's one RBI. Martinez was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day between both games. Vidal also broke the 100-career stolen bases ceiling as she picked up her first in game one and added her 101^st in the second game.
 
The Saxons will next travel to Russell Sage College on Saturday, April 11 for a 1:00pm and 3:00pm doubleheader in Empire 8 action.