Softball | 5/16/2025 7:35:00 PM
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The No. 3 seeded Alfred University softball team pushed past No. 4 seeded Farmingdale State College to face off against No. 1 seeded and No. 2 nationally-ranked Christopher Newport University on Friday afternoon, ending its historic season.
The Saxons (33-11, 18-4 Empire 8) went into extra innings and won on a walk-off run to topple the Rams (29-16, 15-3 Skyline) in the opening game of the day, facing real-feel temperatures of over 100 degrees. Alfred defeated FSC 6-5 in eight innings. Then, the Saxons faced the second best team in the country, the Captains (37-5, 4-0 Coast-To-Coast) and held the score close for the majority of the game, before late runs ended the Saxons' season with an 8-3 loss.
Alfred broke multiple school records as a team. As a team, they batted a .368 to break the 2015 team's record of .362, 2015's on-base percentage of .417 was broken by the 2025 team's .433, 2009's fielding percentage of .962 was broken with a new record of .963 and sailing past the team runs scored and runs per game with 343 runs for 7.80 runs per game, breaking 2015's 327 runs and 2012's 7.24 runs per game.
Game One – 8 Innings
Alfred University – 6 | Farmingdale State College – 5
The Rams were the first on the board in the top of the first inning with a sacrificed bunt that drove in a run.
Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) responded with a double to right center in the bottom of the second inning to bring home
Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) for the 1-1 tie. Whitmyer got to third and then advanced on a wild pitch to take a 2-1 lead to end the inning.
Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) stole third in the bottom of the third inning and then scurried home for the run on a throwing error by the Ram catcher. Farmingdale scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead with all of the momentum in their favor...or so they thought.
Alexis Martinez (Anaheim, CA/Woodbridge) reached on a fielder's choice but earned the RBI when Whitmyer scored in the top of the sixth, bringing the Ram lead to one run. Gatza tied the game with a single to right field that brought home
Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) in the bottom of the seventh to guarantee extra innings, making it a 5-5 game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Vidal grounded a ball back to the Farmingdale pitcher who made a bad toss that allowed Martinez to slide home and beat the tag for the game-winning run.
Delaney Prather (North East, PA/North East) came in for relief to the pitcher's circle and earned her first win of the season as she pitched the final three innings, giving up only one hit.
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) got the start and gave up four hits and had three strikeouts with three of the five runs being earned.
Game Two
Alfred University – 3 | Christopher Newport University – 8
The Saxons were the designated home team for the second game of the day. #2 Christopher Newport got on the board first on a wild pitch before AU ended the inning, led by
Loretta Sorochty (Batavia, NY/Notre Dame Batavia), who pitched the first 3.0 innings while giving up only four hits and one earned run.
AU responded by tying the game up when Gatza earned an RBI on a fielder's choice that brought home Vidal in the bottom of the first. The Captains took back the one-run lead with a single in the top of the third inning that brought home a run.
The Saxons earned the lead in the bottom of the third when Whitmyer singled to left center field to bring home both Remm and Steward for the 3-2 lead. CNU tied the game up in the fourth inning and took the lead in the fifth. They extended the lead in the top of the seventh inning.
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
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