Alfred Advances to Winners Bracket with 6-2 Win Over Stevens

5/2/2014 12:26:29 PM

Alfred 6, Stevens 2 (Box Score)

Third-seeded Alfred University defeated second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology, 6-2, in the first game of the 2014 Empire 8 Softball Tournament on Kostrinsky Field in Ithaca, NY.

The Saxons will face the winner of top-seeded Ithaca and fourth seeded Utica College later this afternoon, while the Ducks will take on the loser of that game.

Alfred jumped to a 4-0 lead over the second-seeded Ducks after four-and-a-half innings. After Stevens cut its deficit in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, AU plated two insurance runs in the sixth to close out the scoring.
 
Junior Alison Wickwire turned in a solid pitching performance for AU, allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits while striking out six over seven innings. She also helped herself out at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
 
Alfred scored one in the top of the first when sophomore Nicole Maher singled to center to score sophomore Samantha Jaurequi, but Stevens junior Jamie DeGennaro threw out the runner trying to advance to third to get out of the inning without any more damage.

Stevens went scoreless in their half of the first before senior pitcher  Kayla Berardi worked around a lead-off double in the second with three straight outs to keep the deficit at one.

After a scoreless third, Alfred added to their lead in the fourth. With sophomore Nicole Mahar on second after a single and a stolen base, junior Alison Wickwire doubled to center to give the Saxons a 2-0 lead. Berardi escaped further runs by retiring the next three batters, including two strikeouts to keep the Ducks deficit to two.

Alfred tacked on two more in the fifth. Jauregui reached on an error and scored on a double by freshman third baseman Liz Thompson.  A double by sophomore second baseman Dana Torchia scored Thompson to give AU a 4-0 advantage.
 
The Ducks answered in the bottom of the fifth though when senior Stephanie Senkevich walked to lead-off and advanced to third off freshman Kelly Klewicki's one-out double. Wickwire retired senior Danielle DeFeo on an infield pop-up for the second out, but sophomore Gavriella Risman-Jones followed with a blooper off the left-fielder's glove to score two and cut the lead in half.

Alfred responded to the Stevens rally with two in the sixth. Sophomore Samantha Greenberg  singled with two outs and moved to second on a bunt single by junior Alyson Hampton. Senior Stephanie Arguello ran for Greenberg and scored on an error before Torchia singled to score Hampton and give Alfred the 6-2 lead. 

Torchia finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs; Thomson was 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI; Jauregui scored twice; and Greenberg was 2-for-3.

Berardi struck-out seven and surrendered just three earned-runs over seven innings, while DeFeo, Senkevich and Klewicki each added a hit. 
 
The winner of the Empire 8 tournament will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. For a complete tournament schedule and live stats and video links, please visit the Championship Website.