Softball | 5/7/2026 7:12:15 PM
Top-seed SUNY Geneseo (29-9), No. 2 seed St. John Fisher University (28-11) and No. 3 seed Alfred University (26-13) remained unbeaten after four games on day one of the six-team double elimination 2026 Empire 8 Softball Tournament from Vic Raschi Field on the Campus of SUNY Geneseo on Thursday, May 7. No. 4 seed Nazareth University (25-12) and No. 6 seed Russell Sage College (21-20) each suffered one loss on Thursday, while No. 5 SUNY Brockport (18-19) was eliminated after suffering a pair of losses.
In an historic day that saw the first three opening round games all go extra innings and end on walk-off hits, SUNY Geneseo defeated Russell Sage, 7-6, while St. John Fisher earned a 2-0 win over SUNY Brockport and defending E8 Champion Alfred rallied to defeat Nazareth, 3-2. Russell Sage rebounded and eliminated SUNY Brockport with an 8-4 win to wrap up day one.
SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth will meet in game five at 9 a.m. on Friday. Nazareth would be eliminated with a loss and would meet Russell Sage in a second elimination game at 2 p.m. with a win. If Geneseo wins, they would play the winner of St. John Fisher/Alfred at 4:30 p.m. Friday. If Geneseo were to lose to Nazareth, they would play the losing team from St. John Fisher/Alfred in an elimination game at 4:30 Friday.
St. John Fisher and Alfred will meet in game six at 11:30 a.m. Friday. The winner would either play SUNY Geneseo in a winner’s bracket game at 4:30 p.m. Friday (if Geneseo beats Nazareth) or would advance to Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (if Nazareth beats Geneseo). If Geneseo defeats Nazareth, the losing team from St. John Fisher and Alfred would play Russell Sage in an elimination game at 2 p.m. If Nazareth beats Geneseo, the St. John Fisher/Alfred losing team would play Geneseo in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Russell Sage is locked into the 2 p.m. game on Friday and would either play Nazareth (If Nazareth defeats Geneseo) or the losing team from the St. John Fisher/Alfred game (If Geneseo beats Nazareth).
GAME 1 - NO. 1 SUNY GENESEO 7, NO. 6 RUSSELL SAGE (8 INNINGS)
The SUNY Geneseo softball team opened up the Empire 8 Tournament with a bang, defeating Sage in the opening game in eight innings on a walk-off double from
Emily Sylvanus. The top-seeded Knights remain unbeaten at home with the win, improving to 29-9 on the season.
The Knights offense broke through in the bottom of the second inning, putting up six runs.
Gabriella Smith opened it up with an RBI single, followed by a bases load walk from
Emily Sylvanus to go up 2-0.
Ray Schumacher then capped off the two-out rally with a grand slam to left field, putting the Knights ahead 6-0.
The Gators were quick to answer in the top of the third, going on a six-run rally of their own, highlighted by two-run singles by Ciana Santana and Emily O’Keefe.
Nevaeh Ross came on in relief for Geneseo to limit the damage, and kept the score tied at 6-6.
The Knights threatened to score in the fifth and seventh innings, but the Gators were able to fend them off and forced the game to extra innings. After Ross and the Geneseo defense stranded a runner at third in the top of the 8th, the Knights walked-off Sage in the bottom half of the inning.
Brooke Fraas picked up a one out double over the center fielder's head, then Sylvanus brought her home with a shot to left center, scoring Fraas.
Schumacher tallied their fourth home run of the season with the grand slam, and now has 31 RBIs on the season. Fraas,
Lauren Babich, and
Bella Nadzan all tallied two hits in the game to lead the offensive effort. Ross threw six innings in relief to earn the win, allowing no earned runs and just three hits.
Carmela DeMaio was 4-for-5 for Sage, while Katie Call drew three walks. Alina Ferguson scattered nine hits on 5 2/3 innings in relief, while allowing one run.
GAME 2 - NO. 2 ST. JOHN FISHER 2, NO. 5 SUNY BROCKPORT 0 (8 INNINGS)
Isabella Mahar delivered a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the St. John Fisher softball team past SUNY Brockport on Day 1 of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament on Thursday at SUNY Geneseo's Vic Raschi Field. The Cardinals improved to 28-11 overall with the victory, while the Golden Eagles fell to 18-18.
Molly Kuhn and Liana DeValder were locked in a pitchers' duel for the Cardinals and Golden Eagles, respectively. Through seven innings, neither team could break through as the game remained scoreless despite multiple scoring opportunities. Fisher stranded six runners on base, while Brockport left four runners aboard.
Kuhn was dominant in the circle, allowing just five hits while striking out eight and issuing no walks through seven innings. DeValder matched that performance, surrendering only four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Kuhn continued her dominant outing in the top of the eighth, retiring all three batters she faced and striking out two to keep Brockport off the board heading into the bottom half of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth,
Madi Rose led off with a single to shortstop before
Sarah Gross laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Rose into scoring position. With one out and the game on the line, Mahar stepped to the plate and delivered a clutch two-run home run to left field, lifting the Cardinals to a walk-off victory.
Kuhn turned in one of her best performances of the season, striking out 10 batters while allowing just five hits with no walks and no runs. The shutout marked her fifth of the season, a career high. Mahar launched her third home run of the season with the game-winning blast in the eighth inning.
GAME 3 - NO. 3 ALFRED 3, NO. 4 NAZARETH 2 (8 INNINGS)
The No. 3 seeded Alfred University softball team advanced in the Empire 8 Softball Championship Tournament, hosted by No. 1 seeded SUNY Geneseo, with a 3-2 walk-off win over No. 4 seeded Nazareth University on Thursday.
The Saxons (26-13) were behind the Golden Flyers (25-12), 2-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. They put up one run in the seventh and one in the eighth to earn the walk-off, advancing victory.
Naz was first on the board with a score in the top of the third after a failed pickoff attempt. The Saxons responded with a tying run in the bottom of the fifth when
Paris Guzman (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) laid down a sacrificed bunt to advance
Ally Boulger (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) to second base. Boulger turned to get to third base and eventually to home on a bad throw from the Naz catcher, who was trying to get Boulger out on a rundown play between second and third.
The Golden Flyers kept the advantage by scoring a single to left field in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the second, Boulger walked to get on first and then got to second on another sacrificed bunt from Guzman. She then reached home with two outs on the board when
Brielle Wark (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) reached first on an error that gave Boulger the opportunity to score again, tying the game up at 2-2 and forcing extra innings.
In extra innings, the Saxons faced another two-out situation with no one on base.
Kendall Steward (Kennedy, NY/Randolph) swung at the first pitch and smashed it over the center field fence for the game-winning home run. Steward had two hits on four at-bats.
Steward pitched 6.0 innings and recorded four strikeouts.
Ava Galvan (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) came in to pitch the final 2.0 innings and recorded one strikeout.
GAME 4 – NO. 6 RUSSELL SAGE 8, NO. 5 SUNY BROCKPORT 4
Russell Sage moved on to Friday’s action after earning an 8-4 win over SUNY Brockport in an elimination game to wrap up Thursday.
The Gators opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Brockport came right back with three runs in the top of the second, Russell Sage took control with a four-spot in the bottom of second, the big hit, a two-run single by Carmela DeMaio that gave them the lead for good, 5-3.
After Brockport threatened with a run in the third inning, Sage buckled down and kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way, adding two more runs in the fourth inning.
Ciana Santana continued her hot hitting ways, going 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Gators attack.
Overall, Russell Sage out-hit Brockport, 13-9. Annalise Tyler scored twice, while DeMaio was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI.
Alina Ferguson came out of the bullpen to earn the win, throwing 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one run, while striking out four batters.
Natalie Faas was 2-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and RBI, while Julia Hill was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
The complete tournament schedule is below, as all games will be played at SUNY Geneseo's Vic Raschi Softball Field.
Empire 8 Double Elimination Championship (Hosted by SUNY Geneseo)
Thursday, May 7
Game 1 – No. 1 SUNY Geneseo (H) defeated No. 6 Russell Sage (A), 7-6 (8 innings) – BOX SCORE
Game 2 – No. 2 St. John Fisher University (H) defeated No. 5 SUNY Brockport (A), 2-0 (8 Innings) – BOX SCORE
Game 3 – No. 3 Alfred University (H) defeated No. 4 Nazareth University, 3-2 (8 innings) – BOX SCORE
Game 4 – No. 6 Russell Sage (H) defeated No. 5 SUNY Brockport (V), 8-4 – BOX SCORE
Friday, May 8
Game 5 – No. 1 SUNY Geneseo (V) vs. No. 4 Nazareth University (H) – 9 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 6 – No. 2 St. John Fisher University vs. No. 3 Alfred University – 11:30 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 7 – No. 6 Russell Sage vs. TBD – 2 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 8 – TBD – 4:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 9
Game 9 – TBD – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 10 – TBD – 1:30 p.m. (Potential Championship Game) – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Sunday, May 10 (If Necessary)
Game 11 – Winning Team from Game 10 vs. Losing Team from Game 10 (if necessary) – 11 a.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS