HAMBURG, NY – Hilbert College Softball hosted Alfred State College in a pair of non-conference matchups this afternoon at the newly renovated FSSJ Field Complex. Prior to the action on the field, the Athletics Department took a moment to honor two families who have been instrumental in their support for the Hawks softball program.

Diana Weiss and her late husband Roger, the first male graduate from Hilbert College, and the Stolowski family have provided unwavering support of the softball program, and their gifts have allowed the program to install new outfield windscreens, bleachers and a beautiful press box. The program has also been able to upgrade the sound system and will soon be adding a new camera for better video feed.  

Joining Diana Weiss and Gene Stolowski on the field was Hilbert College President Michael Brophy, Head Softball Coach Dan Opera, Associate Athletic Director Laura Edholm and junior softball player Brenna Mulvaney who presented our special guest with a framed jersey signed by the current team members and coaching staff.

When the action began the teams combined for 35 runs in a five-inning game one Pioneer victory, before game two saw the offenses cool down and a pair of pitchers, including Hilbert's Alana Yadov, trade scoreless frames early in a 5-3 Alfred State win.

Game One: Hilbert 12 – Alfred State 23
Game Two: Hilbert 3 – Alfred State 5

Game One:
•    After a scoreless first inning, which would be the only runless frame in the contest, the Pioneers opened the scoring with a three-run effort in the top of the second to open up a 3-0 advantage.
•    While the Hawks were still in search of an opening run, Alfred State put together a big third inning as seven two-out runs extended the lead to 10-0.
•    However, Hilbert nearly stormed all the way back in the home half of the inning with a nine spot to make it 10-9 after just three innings of play. Emily Lacki and Emma Gionta each recorded multi-RBI hits, while Brooke Feliciano and Jazlynn Soliz also recorded an RBI in the inning. On top of the timely hitting, the Hawks took advantage of a pair of Pioneer errors in the big frame.
•    Following the nine-run Hilbert third, the Pioneers responded with 13 runs over the next two innings for their largest lead of the game at 23-9.
•    The Hawks added three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but it would not be enough to prevent an early end to game one due to the eight-run rule.

Game Two:
•    Game two looked to follow game one's high-scoring affair as each team crossed the plate in the opening frame. Samantha Heppel's sacrifice fly that scored Feliciano answered a pair of Pioneer runs in the top of the inning to make it 2-1 after one.
•    However, the scoreboard remained unchanged over the next three frames as Yadov allowed just one hit in this span to keep the Alfred State offense quiet.
•    Following another empty half-frame pitched by Yadov, Feliciano singled to score Madison Esmond to knot the game at two after five innings of play.
•    The next three runs of the game belonged to Alfred State as a wild pitch in the sixth, followed by a pair of singles in the seventh made it 5-2 heading into Hilbert's last at-bats.
•    The Hawks made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh as Kailey Stolowski's groundout with the bases-loaded scored Lillian Burkley and put the tying run in scoring position, but Hilbert ran out of outs down 5-3 to fall in game two.

Up Next
The Hawks return to AMCC play with a road doubleheader against Pitt Bradford on Wednesday, April 16th. First pitch is scheduled for 3 pm.