ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University softball team swept SUNY Poly on Saturday afternoon from Harrington Field to celebrate Senior Day.
 
The Saxons (16-12, 10-4 Empire 8) won the opening game, 6-5 with a walk-off single and then defeated the Wildcats (10-16, 5-11 Empire 8) 5-1 in the nightcap. Prior to game one, the Saxons celebrated the careers of Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East), Destiny Avila (Long Beach, CA/St. Anthony) and Caroline Courson (Erie, CO/Erie).
 
Game One
Alfred University – 6 | SUNY Poly – 5
 
The Wildcats were the first to score in the top of the first. They scored on a double steal attempt as the Saxon defense was able to get one out on the play. Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) responded by scoring in the bottom of the frame on a wild pitch.
 
She then went on to give AU its first lead of the game when she took advantage of the Wildcat defense that crept on her, being a slap-batter. Vidal sent a low and fast shot up the middle towards right center field, zipping the shot by the pitcher, second base player and both the center fielder and right fielder. This gave both Alexis Martinez (Anaheim, CA/Woodbridge), who was on first base at the time of the hit, and her enough time to sprint around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run for Vidal. It was her second of the season, having belted one down in Florida during Spring Break against University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
 
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) continued the scoring spree in the bottom of the third when she drove home Bella Mistretta (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield Secondary) with a single to left field, making it a 4-1 Saxon lead.
 
SUNY Poly crept back to tie and take the lead with one run in the top of the fourth and three in the fifth, making it a 5-4 Poly lead. Both teams didn't put up a run in the sixth inning.
 
After a defense led by Loretta Sorochty (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame Batavia) closed out the Wildcats bats for the second half inning in a row, the Saxon bats looked to, at minimum, make it an extra-inning game in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Facing two outs, Mistretta singled up the middle. Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) walked after five pitches to push Mistretta to second. Sadie Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) was subbed in to pinch run for Whitmyer. Both Mistretta and [Sadie] Steward advanced on a wild pitch that was thrown against [Kendall] Steward as the first pitch during her at-bat. [Kendall] Steward, watched the called strike pitch and then on the third pitch, belted it down the right field line for a single, giving Mistretta time to score the tying, 5-5 run and her sister enough time to round third and score the walk-off, 6-5 run.
 
Sorochty picked up the win after tossing 11 pitches, facing three-up-three-down in both the top of the sixth and seventh innings. [Kendall] Steward drove in three runs while Vidal drove in two in the game.
 
Game Two
Alfred University – 5 | SUNY Poly – 1
 
The Saxons posted enough runs in the bottom of the first inning to put the scoring gap out of reach for the Wildcats, scoring three. [Kendall] Steward singled up the middle to send Martinez and Mistretta home for the opening 2-0 lead and ultimately the game-winning RBI for the second game in a row. She then reached home when Whitmyer hit a sacrificed fly to center field, making it a 3-0 lead after one inning.
 
SUNY Poly scored their only run of the game with a double in the top of the second inning.
 
[Kendall] Steward drove home Mistretta in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ally Boulger (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) scored on a double from Samantha Wendig (Exton, PA/Downingtown East) who sent a shot to left center field.
 
Ava Galvan (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) picked up the pitching win, striking out batters three times.
 
The Saxons will next host Houghton University on Tuesday, April 21 with the first Empire 8 game to start at 3:00pm at Harrington Field.