ALFRED, NY — The RIT softball team (20-13, 7-3 Liberty League) dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Alfred University (20-16, 11-4 Empire 8) at Harrington Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers fell 4-2 in game one, before dropping game two in a tight, eight-inning battle, by the score of 6-5.
In game one,
Olivia Doret (Fairfax, VA/Chantilly) had the lone RBI for the Tigers, while
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) scored both runs.
Sierra Valentine (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) went the distance on the mound, allowing four runs on eight hits, to go with two strikeouts.
For Alfred, Haley Powers led the offense with a two-run home run, while Liz Thompson added a solo homer. Brooke Hockeborn added an RBI, while Jillian Murray also scored a run. Starting for Alfred on the bump was Kerri Keeler, who picked up the win after going five innings and allowed one run on three hits, with two strikeouts. Shannon Schaefer came in for the final two innings, and got the save.
The Saxons started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Thompson hit a home run to lead off, before Powers homered with a runner on two batters later, making it 3-0. The Tigers cut the deficit to 3-1 in the second, however, as Doret hit Lunderman home on a single.
Both teams would be held scoreless until the sixth inning, when the Tigers cut the Alfred led to just one on a Lunderman run scored after an error by the Saxons. The Saxons would then add one more run in the bottom of the inning, on an RBI double by Hockeborn, making it 4-2.
RIT put runners on first and second in the top of the seventh, looking for the tying run, but couldn't make the comeback.
Game two started as a pitcher's duel, with Alfred holding a 1-0 lead heading into the seventh inning, but the two teams combined for 10 runs over the final two innings, as Alfred came out on top in the eighth inning.
Danielle Hotz (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) led the Tigers with two RBIs, two hits, and a run.
Erin Guinan (Geneva, NY/Geneva) also added an RBI and a hit.
Tori Blaker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West) (one hit),
Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) (one run), and
Alexa Farner (Gowanda, NY/Gownanda) (one run) also contributed on the offensive end.
Torie Adler (West Chester, PA/B. Reed Henderson) started the game on the mound, going seven innings and striking out four batters, while allowing one earned run on six hits.
Lauren Mahar (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont) came in during the eighth, allowing two unearned runs to take the loss.
For Alfred, Thompson and Becca Alexander both had RBIs, while Thompson scored twice. Jessica Wilcox started the game on the bump, throwing six scoreless innings. Jilliam Murray pitched the seventh inning, allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits, before Wilcox came back in for the eighth inning and picked up the win.
Alfred scored first, as Thompson reached base and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning. Neither team would score until the Tigers scored four times in what could have been their final at-bats in the top of the seventh inning. Hotz and Guinan batted in runs in the inning in addition to a pair of unearned tallies, making it 4-1. Alfred would respond with three runs on the help of two RIT errors in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.
The Tigers scored once in the top of the eighth, as Lunderman scored on an Alfred error. Alfred would not be denied, adding two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, winning the game on a walk-off RBI single by Thompson.
RIT is back in action this weekend, as they play a Liberty League doubleheader at the University of Rochester at 3 p.m. Friday. RIT will also play a doubleheader at home to close out the regular season, against Nazareth College, on Sunday at 1 p.m. from Tiger Stadium. RIT is currently second in the LIberty League standings and clinch a playoff berth with at least one win Friday.
