Softball | 5/3/2022 10:21:17 AM
Top-seed Alfred University is looking to win its second straight league title, as four teams will vie for the 2022 Empire 8 Softball Championship, which takes place from Thursday, May 5 to Saturday, May 7, with all games in the double elimination format at Alfred’s Harrington Field. The tournament winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Championship, which begins May 12.
The 2022 Empire 8 Softball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
Final 2022 Empire 8 Softball Championship Seeds
#1 – Alfred University (11-3 E8, 22-13 Overall)
#2 – St. John Fisher College (11-3 E8, 15-17 Overall)
#3 – Russell Sage College (8-6 E8, 15-19 Overall)
#4 – Nazareth College (8-6 E8, 17-17 Overall)
2022 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule
Empire 8 Double Elimination Championship (Hosted by Alfred University)
Thursday, May 5
Game 1 – #2 St. John Fisher College vs. #3 Russell Sage College – 2 p.m.
Game 2 – #1 Alfred University vs. #4 Nazareth College – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 6
Game 3 – Winning Team from Game 1 vs. Winning Team of Game 2 – 11 a.m.
Game 4 – Losing Team of Game 1 vs. Losing Team of Game 2 (elimination game) – 1:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winning Team from Game 4 vs. Losing Team from Game 3 (elimination game) – 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 7
Game 6 – Championship Game 1 (Winner of game 4 vs. winner of Game 5) – possible champion to be crowned – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Championship Game 2 (if necessary) – 2:30 p.m.
Top seed Alfred enters the tournament with a 22-13 overall record, having finished 11-3 in league play to share the 2022 E8 Regular Season title. The Saxons are making their 14th appearance in the E8 Tournament, having won league titles in 2015 and 2021. Ashley Lugo is third nationally with 45 stolen bases in 45 attempts and holds the Empire 8 career record for steals with 144. She is batting .333 with a .916 OPS, 35 runs scored, 39 hits, 12 extra base hits (including two homers) and 18 RBI. Meghan Neto leads the Saxons with a .361 batting average and 1.090 OPS, while recording team-high totals of 10 doubles and three homers. Mya Wells is right behind Neto with a .356 batting average and a team-high totals of three homers and 28 RBI. On the mound, Megan Bennett, Mikaela Perez and Arden Hatch are a formidable trio. Hatch is 7-4 with 98 strikeouts in 80 innings, while Perez has a team-best 10 wins. Bennett has excelled out of the bullpen with seven saves, which leads all of Division III.
No. 2 seed St. John Fisher enters the 2022 Championship having finished 11-3 in league play to share the Empire 8 regular season title with Alfred and is attempting to its eighth Empire 8 Tournament Championship. Eight players are batting at least .300 in 2022. Allie Klonowski is batting a team-high .426 with a 1.134 OPS and an Empire 8 best 11 homers and 34 RBI. Allison Rogowski is batting .378 for St. John Fisher. The Cardinals have hit a league-high 19 home runs as a team this season. Ainsley Evanetski leads St. John Fisher on the mound with a 6-3 record, 3.39 earned run average and 1.11 WHIP. Jess Patterson, who finished 16-4 in 2021 has battled injuries in 2022 but allowed just one hit over five innings in her final start of the regular season.
Russell Sage is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the second straight season, having captured the No. 3 seed with a 8-6, record in conference play, earning the tiebreaker over Nazareth. Senior Arianna Papas leads all Empire 8 players with a .505 batting average, .869 slugging percentage and remarkable 1.405 OPS. She has 50 hits in 2022, with 22 going for extra bases, including five home runs and 29 RBI. Taylor Dicranian has a league-high 18 doubles to go along with three home runs and 25 RBI. Emily Agate and Katelyn Rice are both batting over .330, while Makayla Lindsay has three home runs. On the mound Dicranian is 8-6 with a 3.41 earned run average and 10 complete games. Lindsay has added six wins.
Nazareth is the No. 4 seed in the 2022 E8 Tournament, having finished 8-6 in league play en route to a 17-17 overall mark. The Golden Flyers have four starters batting at least .300 on the season. Sarah Simmons leads Nazareth with a .391 batting average and a .991 OPS with nine doubles, two home runs and 28 RBI runs batted in. Justin Brooks leads the Holden Flyers with 32 runs scored and 15 walks, while hitting .321 and Marissa Berghorn has 27 RBI. On the mound, Emily Daciw has struck out 147 batters over 106 innings pitched with nine wins and 13 complete games in 15 starts. Maddie Funk also has thrown 13 complete games in 2022.
Thursday’s opening game between St. John Fisher and Russell Sage marks the third meeting of the season between the two schools, as they split a doubleheader at St. John Fisher on April 24. The Cardinals won game one, 9-0 in six innings before Russell Sage rallied to win game two, 4-2. Alfred will be looking for its third win of the season over Nazareth, as the Saxons earned a doubleheader sweep on April 9 by scores of 9-1 in six innings and 7-5.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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