Alyson Hampton scored the lone run of the game.
Alfred Tops Ithaca to Force a Winner Take All Final on Sunday
Box Score
The Alfred University softball team, fresh off a dramatic come-from-behind win over Utica Saturday at the Empire 8 Conference championship tournament, shut out top-seeded and host Ithaca College, 1-0, setting up a winner-take-all championship game Sunday afternoon.
AU and Ithaca will meet at t 1 p.m. Sunday, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship tournament.
AU (27-9) and Ithaca were locked in a scoreless battle until the top of the fifth inning, when junior outfielder
Alyson Hampton scored the game's only run. Hampton led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior outfielder
Rachel Guszick. Hampton went to third on a bunt single by sophomore outfielder
Samantha Jauregui and scored when freshman third baseman
Liz Thompson reached on an error.
The run was all the support AU sophomore pitcher
Katelyn Jakobsen would need. She held the Bombers to three hits while striking out two and walking three over seven scoreless innings.
AU managed six hits off Ithaca starter Sam Bender. Hampton finished 2-for-2 with the game's only run. Jauregui went 2-for-4, while sophomore shortstop
Nicole Maher (double) and sophomore second baseman
Dana Torchia each added a base hit.
Bender pitched her third complete game of the tournament. She didn't allow an earned run and picked up three strikeouts in the loss. Ithaca juniors
Nicole Ciricillo,
Francesca Busa and freshman
Jessie Fleck all recorded singles.