ALFRED NY – Hilbert College Softball took on Alfred State College this afternoon in the second meeting between the Hawks and the Pioneers this spring. Like the first meeting, Hilbert fell twice to Alfred State in a hard-fought sweep.
The Hawks scored in five separate game one innings, but were unable to string together multiple runs in the loss.
Samantha Heppel,
Alana Yadov, and
Jazlynn Soliz each recorded a pair of hits in the defeat, while Yadov (L, 5.1 IP, 6 Ks) and
Kimberly Bentley (0.2 IP, 0 ER). split time in the circle.
Game two saw Hilbert take the lead late after a six-run effort in the fifth, but the Pioneers fought back to force extra innings and eventually used a three-run output in the bottom of the eighth to earn the sweep.
Mackenzie Catan led the way with a pair of RBI, while
Emily Lacki,
Madison Esmond, Yadov, and Soliz each knocked in a run. Heppel, Yadov, and Bentley each pitched in the contest.
Game One: Hilbert 5 – Alfred State 10
Game Two: Hilbert 8 – Alfred State 9 (8 innings)
Game One:
- The Hawks wasted no time opening the scoring this afternoon as Heppel's double scored Emma Gionta in the top of the first for an early 1-0 lead.
- The Pioneers would answer with a run-scoring double of their own, as a two RBI knock quickly put the hosts out in front, 2-1 after the second inning.
- The third inning saw the Hawks tie the game on a Yadov walk in the top half, before Alfred State scored a trio of runs in the bottom of the frame to take a three-run lead.
- Heppel, Lacki, and Miyah Lopez each recorded an RBI in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings respectively, but a fifth innings RBI single, paired with a four-run effort in the bottom of the sixth allowed the Pioneers to grab game one, 10-5.
Game Two:
- After the teams played a scoreless opening two frames, the Pioneers got on the board first with runs in the third and fourth innings for a 2-0 lead.
- However, Hilbert found its offense in the top of the fifth in a big way, as the Hawks used six runs on an Esmond RBI, a Catan two RBI single, and a pair of errors to make it a 6-2 game.
- In the bottom half of the frame, Alfred State drew within one with three runs of their own.
- After a scoreless sixth, the Pioneers got the run they needed in the seventh to tie the game and send the contest to extra innings.
- Hilbert looked to take control of the game with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth thanks to a wild pitch and a Lacki sacrifice fly, but the Pioneers used a triple, and a sacrifice fly and wild pitch of their own to walk-off game two and take the sweep of the afternoon.
Up Next
The Hawks return home on Saturday, April 26
th when the team hosts Penn State Altoona in an AMCC doubleheader. Hilbert will honor its senior student-athletes prior to the 1 pm first pitch.