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Jamie Parente heads to first after a base hit.

Pioneers Battle Cazenovia Tough in Home Opener

The Alfred State softball team battled Cazenovia tough as they finally were able to open the home portion of their season. The Wildcats took the opener 10-5 and used a four run 6th inning to win 9-6 in the nightcap.

In the opener, the Pioneers fell behind 3-0 after the Wildcats scored a pair of runs in the 1st and another run in the 4th. In the 4th, Shae Green (Hornell) lifted a sac fly to get the Pioneers on the board. Cazenovia answered with four more runs in the 5th but the Pioneers clawed back into the contest with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Morgan Franklin (Wellsville) scored on a wild pitch, Ashley Peterson (Maybrook/Valley Central) hit a sac fly, and Kylie DeWilde (Midlakes) delivered a single to left field. A three run 6th inning put the game out reach for the Pioneers but the team did plate a run in the 7th on a RBI single by Xavia Miller (Dundee).

Peterson was 2 for 3 with a RBI, Miller was 2 for 4 with a RBI, and Jamie Parente (Mount Sinai) was 2 for 4.

McKenzie Harris led the Wildcats with a 3 for 3, 5 RBI day while Kelsey Morgan finished 3 for 4.

The Wildcats got a pair of RBI singles in the 1st and 2nd inning to jump out to the 2-0 lead in the nightcap. In the 4th, Betsy Butlak (Angola/Lake Shore) scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead in half. Cazenovia made it 4-1 with a two-RBI single by Brynn Waloven before the Pioneers rallied for three in the bottom of the inning. Parente had a RBI single to left, Butlak lifted a sac fly, and DeWilde tied it with a RBI single.
 
Cazenovia broke the tie with four runs in the 6th. The Wildcats collected four hits including back-to-back doubles in the inning. Jordan Leonard (Lancaster) cut the lead in half in the bottom of the 6th when she laced a double to center field. Cazenovia added an insurance run in the 7th and were able to keep the Pioneers off the board in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.
 
Parente was 3 for 3 with a RBI to lead the Pioneers while DeWilde was 2 for 3 with a RBI. Franklin also finished with multiple hits ending the contest 2 for 4.
 
Hannah Crouteau was 3 for 5 with a RBI to lead Cazenovia while Waloven was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI.
 
The Pioneers scheduled doubleheader at Medaille on Sunday has been postponed so the team is next scheduled to play on Tuesday when they travel to Elmira for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.