Softball | 5/8/2025 8:05:58 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher University (27-13), No. 2 seed Alfred University (29-9) and No. 4 seed Utica University (23-10) remained unbeaten after four games on day one of the six-team double elimination 2025 Empire 8 Softball Tournament from St. John Fisher on Thursday, May 8. No. 3 seed SUNY Geneseo (28-11) and No. 7 seed SUNY Poly (20-16) each suffered one loss on Thursday, while No. 5 Nazareth University (21-15) was eliminated.
The two-time defending E8 Champion Cardinals began the day with an 11-1 win in six innings over Poly, while Alfred knocked off Nazareth in the second game, 11-3 in six innings. Utica out-lasted SUNY Geneseo, 9-7 in game three, while Poly rebounded and eliminated Nazareth with a 10-2 win in five innings to wrap up day one.
St. John Fisher and SUNY Geneseo will meet in game five at 9 a.m. on Friday. Geneseo would be eliminated with a loss and would meet SUNY Poly in a second elimination game at 2 p.m. with a win. If Fisher wins, they would play the winner of Alfred/Utica at 4:30 p.m. Friday. If Fisher were to lose to Geneseo, they would play the losing team from Alfred/Utica in an elimination game at 4:30 Friday.
Alfred and Utica will meet in game six at 11:30 a.m. Friday. The winner would either play Fisher in a winner’s bracket game at 4:30 p.m. Friday (if Fisher beats Geneseo) or would advance to Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (if Geneseo beats Fisher). If Fisher beats Geneseo, the losing team from Alfred and Utica would play SUNY Poly in an elimination game at 2 p.m. If Geneseo beats Fisher, the Alfred/Utica losing team would play Fisher in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
SUNY Poly is locked into the 2 p.m. game on Friday and would either play Geneseo (If Geneseo beats Fisher) or the losing team from the Alfred/Utica game (If Fisher beats Geneseo).
GAME 1 - NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 11, NO. 7 SUNY POLY 1 (6 INNINGS)
Top-seed St. John Fisher broke open a close game by exploding for five runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth to walk-off SUNY Poly, 11-1.
With two outs in the fifth, Mari Spitz doubled in a pair of runs to make it 4-1 Cardinals. Amalia DeMartino doubled in a run to up the lead to 5-1 and Tori LoPresto added a run-scoring single. In the sixth, Taylor Shackleton singled in a run before Emily McManus ended the game with a three-run walk-off home run, her 15th of the season.
McManus was a perfect 3-for-3, a triple shy of the cycle, with a walk, three runs scored and three RBI. Spitz doubled and drove in three runs, while Madi Rose was 3-for-4 and Maddie Donlin was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Ainsley Evanetski earned her 13th win of the season, scattering three hits and four walks, while striking out seven batters.
GAME 2 - NO. 2 ALFRED 11, NO. 5 NAZARETH 3 (6 INNINGS)
The No. 2 seeded Alfred University softball team entered the winners' bracket of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament after an 11-3 walk-off win over No. 5 Nazareth University on Thursday afternoon at St. John Fisher University.
The Saxons closed out the win with a walk-off home run from
Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) in the bottom of the sixth inning for the 11-3 mercy rule victory.
After the Golden Flyers went up 2-0 in the top of the first inning, the Saxons opened the flood gates in the bottom of the second inning, scoring eight runs with seven of them coming in while facing a two-out situation.
Molly Whitmyer (Enola, PA/Trinity) was the first Saxon on the board with a solo home run to left field. The ball was hit so hard that it landed deep in the Fisher javelin throwing sector.
Delaney Prather (North East, PA/North East) singled to center field that sent
Ally Boulger (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) home to tie the game, 2-2.
Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) and Prather were on first and third, respectively when Vidal stole second. The bad throw from the Naz catcher allowed Prather to jog home for the 3-2 lead. Vidal scored shortly after after
Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) singled to center. Remm scored when
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) did the same thing while at-bat.
Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) doubled to left center field to bring home Steward, making it 6-2 before Neto recorded her first of two home runs right after, sending the ball over the left field fence, making it an 8-2 Saxon lead.
Whitmyer singled to left field in the bottom of the fourth to bring home
Darby McEnery (Corona, CA/Norco) for the 9-2 lead before Naz put on run on the board in the top of the fifth.
Remm drove home Prather in the bottom of the fifth to make it 10-3 with a single to left center field. Neto closed out the win with her home run over the center field fence in the next inning.
The Saxons out-hit the Flyers, 13-5 with two doubles and three home runs. Steward never gave up an extra base hit while striking out three batters as she earned her 20th pitching win of the season.
GAME 3 - NO. 4 UTICA 9, NO. 3 SUNY GENESEO 7
Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) led the way for Utica, going 4-for-4 at the plate while scoring three times on the afternoon.
Alyssa Barbato (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck) and
Abigail Sacks (Colonie, NY/Colonie) each finished 2-for 4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs each, while Barbato added a double to her resume on the afternoon.
Brooke Beleza (Amherstview, Ontario/Jefferson Community College) and
Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) each also went 2-for 4 at the plate with an RBI.
Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) got the starting nod for the Pioneers in the circle, dealing her 12th complete game of the season en route to her 10th win, giving up seven runs, none of which were earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts.
Geneseo would take a 4-0 commanding lead in the bottom of the first after a bases-loaded walk, a two-run single by Gabriella Smith through the right side, and a wild pitch would score a runner.
In the top of the third, the Pioneers would be able to put bat to ball, bringing four runs across the plate to tie the game at four runs apiece. Beleza would start the scoring with an RBI single that would send her to second on an error and bring in Barbato to put the Pioneers on the board.
Meghan Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) would follow that up with a single to right center that would bring in Beleza to cut the Pioneers' deficit to two. Little would then get on base with Paul that would bring up Sacks who would send one through the right side and score Paul to bring the Pioneers within one.
Taylor Kraft (Loudonville, NY/Shaker) would then hit a sacrifice fly to that would score Little and tie the ball game for Utica heading into the fourth inning.
After Geneseo went back up 5-4, Utica would put together another monstrous four-run top of the fifth inning. Sacks would start the scoring by driving in Little with an RBI single where she would advance on an error by the Knight's right fielder. A single from Murrat would bring in another run in Sacks to give the Pioneers their first lead of the game. Barbato would then be able to hit the gap in right field that would score two runners in Kraft and Murray to put the Pioneers ahead by three heading into the latter frames.
GAME 4 - NO. 7 SUNY POLY 10, NO. 5 NAZARETH 2 (5 INNINGS)
The Wildcats were quiet in the opening frame but capitalized on a key error and string of hits in the top of the second. After a leadoff single from
Annabella Mondello and another from
Shelbi Hagues, SUNY Poly loaded the bases and got on the board with a sacrifice fly from
Joely Welpe. An RBI groundout by
Jillian O'Connor made it 2–0, and the inning took off from there.
Ava Faragon drove in two more with a single, and
Kimberly Birmingham and
Jadyn Childers followed with back-to-back RBI hits, capping a six-run outburst.
Nazareth answered quickly in the bottom half of the second. After a two-out walk, Chelsea Knapp launched a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 6–2. But the Golden Flyers struggled to generate offense beyond that moment, stranding key runners in the third and fifth innings.
SUNY Poly added insurance in the fifth. After a Nazareth error, Childers crushed a two-run homer to center, and Hagues later drove in another with a double down the left-field line. Welpe reached on a misplayed grounder to bring in one more, giving the Wildcats a commanding 10–2 lead.
Trinity Critelli scattered four hits and struck out four batters in the five-inning complete game win.
Kaijah Alexander doubled and walked twice for the Golden Flyers.
The complete tournament schedule is below, as all games will be played at St. John Fisher's Softball Complex.
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 vs. No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 9 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 6 – No. 2 Alfred University vs. No. 4 Utica – 11:30 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
If 4 Teams Remain After Game 6
Friday, May 9 - Purchase Tickets
Game 7 – No. 7 SUNY Poly vs. Losing Team from Game 6 – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 8 – Winning Team from Game 5 vs. Winning Team from Game 6 – 4:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 10 - Purchase Tickets
Game 9 – Winning Team from Game 7 vs. Losing Team from Game 8 – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 10 – Winning Team from Game 8 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
If 5 Teams Remain After Game 6
Friday, May 9 - Purchase Tickets
Game 7 – No. 7 SUNY Poly vs. Winning Team from Game 5 – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 8 – Losing Team from Game 5 vs. Losing Team from Game 6 – 4:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 10 - Purchase Tickets
Game 9 – Winning Team from Game 6 vs. Winning Team from Game 8 – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
If 2 Teams Remain After Game 9
Saturday, May 10 - Purchase Tickets
Game 10 – Winning Team from Game 7 vs. Winning Team from Game 9 – 1:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Sunday, May 11 (If Necessary)
Game 11 – Winner Game 10 vs. Losing Team from Game 10 (if necessary) – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
If 3 Teams Remain After Game 9
Saturday, May 10 - Purchase Tickets
Game 10 – Winning Team from Game 7 vs. Losing Team from Game 9 – 1:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Sunday, May 11 (If Necessary)
Game 11 – Winning Team from Game 9 vs. Winning Team from Game 10 – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
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