Softball | 5/9/2025 9:46:39 PM
Alfred University, St. John Fisher University and Utica University remain in the hunt for the 2025 Empire 8 Softball Championship Tournament after advancing on Friday, May 9. No. 2 seed Alfred is the lone undefeated team and have advanced to the championship round after defeating No. 4 Utica, 7-4 and top-seed St. John Fisher, 6-4 on day two. The Cardinals began the day with a 10-2 win over No. 3 SUNY Geneseo, eliminating the Knights on Friday morning, while Utica moved into Saturday’s action after eliminating No. 7 SUNY Poly, 15-2 in five innings on Friday afternoon.
Utica (24-11) and St. John Fisher (28-14) will meet in the game nine of the tournament at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 10. The winner advances to face Alfred (31-9) in game 10 at 1:30 p.m., while the losing team is eliminated. Alfred, who is unbeaten in the tournament, would claim the Empire 8 Championship with a win in game 10. If the winner of St. John Fisher/Utica wins game 10, that would set up a winner-take-all game 11, which would be played at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 11.
Alffred is looking to win its fourth E8 Championship and third in the last five seasons. St. John Fisher is looking to claim its third straight league title and tenth overall, while the Pioneers are looking to win their first E8 title.
GAME 5 – NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 10, NO. 3 SUNY GENESEO 2 (5 INNINGS)
The Cardinals broke open a scoreless tie by exploding for 10 fourth inning runs en route to eliminating the Knights. Madi Rose had the big hit in the inning, a two-run bases loaded double that made it 5-0 Cardinals.
Mari Spitz was 3-for-3 with a run scored for Fisher, while Taylor Shackleton hit a two-run homer in the win. Ainsley Evanetski picked up her 14th win of the season, allowing six hits and two runs over five innings, while striking out a pair of hitters.
Kaitlyn Schmitz was 2-for-2 with a double and RBI for the Knights. SUNY Geneseo finished its first season as an Empire 8 member with a 28-12 overall record.
GAME 6 – NO. 2 ALFRED 7, NO. 4 UTICA 4
Delaney Prather and Abigail Gatza each had three hits and drove in a pair of runs apiece, as Alfred remained unbeaten with the 7-4 win.
Alfred jumped right out to a 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Gatza in the first inning. After a Rachel Little sacrifice fly for Utica, Prather extended Alfred’s lead to 4-1 in the third, driving in a pair of runs on a bases loaded single.
Little drove in her second run for Utica in the bottom of the third. The game would stay that way until the sixth inning when Alfred added three more runs to go up 7-2. Jessica Remm would deliver the big blow, a two-run homer to right field.
Lauren Paul added a home run in the bottom of the sixth, while Brooke Beleza singled in a run to make it 7-4. The Pioneers would get the tying run to the plate later in the frame but would not get closer.
Kendall Steward earned her 21st win on the mound for Alfred, allowing eight hits and four runs (three earned) with four strikeouts in the complete-game effort. She also went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double.
GAME 7 – NO. 4 UTICA 15, NO. 7 SUNY POLY 2
Utica shook any after-effects of losing moments before to Alfred very quickly in the win over Poly, scoring three times in the first inning, five times in the second, four runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to cruise to win and advance to Saturday.
The Pioneers exploded for four home runs and 18 hits in the win. Brooke Beleza was 4-for-5 with two home runs, four runs scored and five RBI, while Rachel Little was 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Alyssa Barbato was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Meghan Paul and Lauren Paul both homered.
Kelly Thornton earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits and two runs, while striking out three batters in the complete game effort.
Jadyn Childers and Annabella Mondello each drove in a run for Poly, who had its first season as an Empire 8 member end with a 20-17 mark.
GAME 8 – NO. 2 ALFRED 6, NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 4
Jessica Remm homered for the second time on the day and drove in three runs to lift the Saxons to the E8 Championship round with the win over St. John Fisher in a battle of tournament unbeatens.
With the game tied 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Paris Guzman singled to lead off the inning and came around to score on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Samantha Vidal would drive in a run later in the inning on a groundout.
Amalia DeMartino went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer for St. John Fisher, while Emily McManus added a solo homer, her second of the tournament. Mari Spitz was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.
Kendall Steward improved to 22-2, scattering 10 hits in the complete-game win.
2025 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 6 (Single Game, First Round at Higher Seed)
No. 5 Nazareth University defeated No. 8 Elmira College, 5-4 – BOX SCORE
No. 7 SUNY Poly defeated No. 6 Russell Sage College (at Cooperstown All-Star Village), 3-1 – BOX SCORE
All Double Elimination Games at Top-Seed
Thursday, May 8
Game 1 – No. 1 St. John Fisher University defeated No. 7 SUNY Poly, 11-1 (6 innings) – BOX SCORE
Game 2 – No. 2 Alfred University defeated No. 5 Nazareth University, 11-3 (6 innings) – BOX SCORE
Game 3 – No. 4 Utica University defeated No. 3 SUNY Geneseo. 9-7 – BOX SCORE
Game 4 – No. 7 SUNY Poly defeated No. 5 Nazareth, 10-2 (5 innings) – BOX SCORE (Nazareth eliminated)
Friday, May 9 - Purchase Tickets
Game 5 – No. 1 St. John Fisher defeated No. 3 SUNY Geneseo, 10-2 (5 innings) – BOX SCORE (Geneseo eliminated)
Game 6 – No. 2 Alfred University defeated No. 4 Utica University, 7-4 – BOX SCORE
Game 7 – No. 4 Utica University defeated No. 7 SUNY Poly, 15-2 (5 innings) – 2 p.m. – BOX SCORE (Poly eliminated)
Game 8 – No. 2 Alfred University defeated No. 1 St. John Fisher, 6-4 – BOX SCORE
Saturday, May 10 - Purchase Tickets
Game 9 – No. 4 Utica University at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS (elimination game)
Game 10 – No. 2 Alfred University vs. Winning Team from Game 9 – 1:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Sunday, May 11 (If Necessary)
Game 11 – Winning Team from Game 10 vs. Losing Team from Game 10 (if necessary) – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
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