Softball | 5/22/2021 10:29:00 PM
EAU CLAIRE, WI – The 17th-ranked Alfred University softball team saw its season come to an end in the NCAA Regional Championships, falling to No. 8 Linfield by a 7-5 score and Piedmont (Ga.) 3-1 Sunday afternoon from the Bollinger Fields on the campus of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The Saxons, who won the 2021 Empire 8 Conference Championship, finish their season with a 32-11 record.
Alfred's 32 victories are the third-most in program history, following the 2010 (37-8) and 2015 (40-7) squads. The Saxons finished with a program-record 113 stolen bases, 367 strikeouts, and tied the 2010 squad with 12 shutouts.
It was the final games for four Saxon seniors: graduate pitcher
Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, N.Y./Pine Valley), graduate infielder
Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Beach Union), senior utility
Moreta Dyke (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle Area), and senior outfielder
Sydney Saucedo (Whittier, Calif./La Serna). Wilcox finished with multiple school records, including career victories (54), career strikeouts (653), career shutouts (24), season shutouts (12), and strikeouts in a game (15). Her school-record 257 strikeouts in 2021 is one more than the entire 2010 squad, which previously held the team record for strikeouts in a season. She also threw a five-inning perfect game, only the second in school history, sharing that honor with Ilana Price in 2007.
Ceja reached the 100-hit plateau, finishing with 106 career hits, nine home runs, and 70 RBI. Dyke finished her career with four career wins in the circle and two saves in 75 innings pitched and 27 appearances. She also tallied eight hits, playing in 24 games as a batter. Saucedo finished her career with 96 hits and 65 runs scored.
GAME 1 - LINFIELD 7, ALFRED 5
Linfield struck first with a three-run home run in the first inning by Jenny Ball, but the Saxons struck back in the second. Junior infielder
Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley) led the second with a single, firing up the Alfred bench. A few batters later, Saucedo drove O'Toole in with a run-scoring bunt down the first base line.
The Saxons inched closer in the third. After a leadoff double by Lugo, she would score on a throwing error by the third baseman, as the deficit shrunk to 3-2. The Wildcats would answer in the bottom of the frame, as this time a Saxons' miscue brought a Linfield run in.
Alfred manufactured a run in the fifth inning, as a sacrifice fly by junior infielder
Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, Calif./John F. Kennedy) brought in Lugo from third, with the Saxons trailing by a 4-3 score.
The Wildcats surged ahead in the bottom of the frame, tallying three runs on four hits, including two-out singles by Ball and Katrina Johns. Linfield took a commanding 7-3 lead into the sixth inning.
Alfred didn't give up, loading the bases in the sixth inning after Wilcox, Saucedo, and sophomore outfielder
Isabella Carrillo (Van Nuys, Calif./Birmingham Community Charter), all reached base. Two batters later, junior outfielder
Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) manufactured a run on a one-out grounder towards the third base line, scoring Wilcox. With Mejia at the plate, Tayah Kelley forced her to ground out to the second base after a deflection after re-routing the comebacker, ending the threat as the Saxons trailed 7-4.
Hatch came on in relief of Wilcox in the bottom of the sixth, pitching a scoreless frame to leave room for a Saxon rally. Alfred immediately loaded the bases in the seventh, but Maddy Podnar, coming on in relief, caused Saucedo to strike out swinging for the second out. With her back against the wall, Carrillo responded with an RBI single to the shortstop, scoring O'Toole as the Saxons trailed 7-5. With Lugo at the plate, the junior laced a ground ball to the right of Johns, but the Linfield shortstop was able to make the diving play, throwing out the speedy Lugo to end the threat.
The Saxons outhit the Wildcats by an 11-9 tally. Lugo went 2-for-5, scoring twice and stealing two bases. O'Toole went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Carrillo and first year infielder
Mya Wells (San Ramon, Calif./California) also tallied two hits apiece. Guitron, Mejia, Saucedo, and Carrillo all drove in runs.
Wilcox (18-5) took the loss, striking out six batters in five innings pitched. Hatch pitched a scoreless sixth with a strikeout.
GAME 2 - PIEDMONT 3, ALFRED 1
Alfred faced elimination playing the same Piedmont team it beat in a low-scoring contest Friday. The Saxons started strong, as a leadoff Lugo double led to a two-out RBI double by O'Toole four batters later, giving the Saxons a 1-0 lead.
From there, both pitchers, Hatch and Piedmont reliever Erin McBrayer, kept both offenses off the board for the next few innings.
Piedmont struck in the bottom of the fifth. Kaitlin Isley roped a two-out double into right center, scoring Drew Graham to tie the game. The next batter, Katelyn Perry, rewarded Isley with an RBI single through the right side, as Piedmont took a 2-1 lead. The Lions added an insurance run in the sixth, as Hannah Morgan's looping shot went over the outstretched glove of the Saxon center fielder, scoring Mackenzie Davis.
With Alfred's season on the line, Lugo pushed a one-out single through the right side. Unfortunately for the Saxons, they were unable to capitalize on the runner on base, as Piedmont was able to retire both Guitron and Mejia to end the game.
The Saxons outhit their opponent for the second consecutive game, this time by a 7-6 margin. Lugo went 3-for-4 with a run scored, finishing her season with a .416 batting average. Wells, O'Toole, Ceja, and Hatch each ended the season with a hit. Hatch finished her season with a 7-3 record in the circle, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out five Piedmont batters. Wilcox pitched the sixth inning, allowing one run on two hits, striking out one batter.