Hornell, NY – The Elmira College Softball team fell late in a pair of games to Alfred University, 13-5 and 5-4, Thursday afternoon in Hornell. The wins improve the Saxons to 24-8 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 play, while the losses drops the Soaring Eagles to 7-9 overall and 0-6 in conference competition.
 
In Game 1 the Purple and Gold carried a 5-4 advantage after the top of the fourth inning but the Saxons responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Alfred exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning to take control late in a 13-5 victory in five innings. Katie Dore '15 (Manchester, ME -- Maranacook), Alex Andrade '13 (Fairhaven, MA -- Bishop Strong), Megan Anderson '15 (Little Falls, NJ -- Passaic Valley) and Erin Pruess '12 (Glens Falls, NY -- Glens Falls) each registered hits for the Soaring Eagles. Katie Hobson '13 (Guilford, CT -- Guilford) pitched four innings giving up seven earned runs, while walking two and striking out three. Sarah Johnson '15 (Sodus, NY -- Sodus) went two-thirds of an inning giving up five earned runs, walking two and striking out one.
 
In Game 2 EC plated three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead, however, the Saxons responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it at three all. Both teams scored runs in the fifth inning, but couldn't get any runners across the plate in the sixth and seventh innings as Game 2 went to extras. Hana Gross singled home Samantha Jo Muller with one out in the bottom of the 10^th inning for the walk-off win for Alfred. Eight different players recorded hits in Game 2 for Elmira as Pruess, Andrade, Anderson, Dore, Johnson, Krystal Bupp '14 (Bellmawr, NJ -- Triton Regional), Ashley Watkins '15 (Brownfield, ME -- Fryeburg Academy), and Mikayla Bean '14 (Williamson, NY -- Williamson) all got in the hit column. Johnson and Hobson split time on the mound for EC in Game 2. Johnson pitched six innings giving up four earned runs, four walks and struck out four batters, while Hobson went three and one-third innings giving up one unearned run and struck out two.
 
The EC Softball team returns home Saturday when it takes on Nazareth College in Empire 8 action. Game 1 starts at 1:00 p.m. at Eldridge Park Stadium.