Junior Carly Dziekan scored the game-winning run in the top of the 8th inning to help St. Lawrence softball to an 8-7 win and a sweep of Alfred State in a nonconference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. The Saints improve to 12-17 on the year with the sweep.

While the nightcap was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams that featured four lead changes, the first game of the day was all St. Lawrence as the Saints coasted to a 9-0 win in five innings.

At the plate through two games the Saints tallied six extra-base hits, led by Emma Reakes with two doubles and a home run. First-year Mylea Mann also homered for the Saints in game two; the first home run of her collegiate career.

The Saints used a seven-run second inning in game one to power them to the shutout, run-rule win. Allie Courtwright, Abrianna Schlickenmayer and Carly Dziekan earned three straight walks to lead off the inning and load the bases, setting up an RBI single to right by Kelsey Murphy. After a play at the plate on a fielder's choice left the bases loaded with one out, Dziekan scored on a wild pitch and Kylee Knight hit a two-RBI triple to clear the bases and push the lead to 4-0.

With two outs in the inning, Mann singled to short to plate Knight and then Reakes hit her second home run on the week for a 7-0 St. Lawrence lead.

Pitcher Emma Gailey retired Alfred State in order in each of the remaining innings en route to her seventh win of the year. She allowed just two hits and recorded seven strikeouts in the shutout.

The Saints added their final two runs of the contest in the top of the fifth, when Dziekan once again scored on a wild pitch and Mann worked a bases loaded walk to bring Murphy home to score for the eventual 9-0 margin.

In game two, Alfred State had a 2-0 lead through three innings before the Saints scored three in the top of the fourth to take the lead.

Reakes led off with a single up the middle and a double by Schlickenmayer put two on with no one out. After Dziekan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Murphy hit an RBI single to left field to cut the deficit in half.

Later in the inning, an error by the Alfred State shortstop allowed Dziekan to score before first-year Elle Gray laced an RBI single to center field to plate Murphy as the go-ahead run. But Alfred State answered in its half of the frame to pull even at 3-3.

In their half of the fifth, the Saints manufactured a run to take a 4-3 lead on a sac fly by Dziekan to center field that plated Reakes, who had led off the inning with a double.

A three-run fifth for Alfred gave the home team's it's second lead of the day at 6-4, but the Saints answered in the top of the sixth with three of their own thanks to Mylea Mann's first collegiate home run – a three-run shot - to pull in front, 7-6.

Alfred scored a single run in the bottom of the sixth and both teams left runners on base in the seventh to force extras.

International tiebreak rules put Dziekan on second to start the frame and after a sac bunt by Murphy moved her to third, she came around to score the game-winning run on a
fielding error by the Alfred pitcher.

Hannah Sears – who picked up her second win of the year – retired Alfred State in order in the bottom of the eighth to seal the win. She pitched four innings in relief and allowed just one run on two hits with an impressive six strikeouts. Starter Allie Courtwright and Emma Gailey each threw two innings in game two.

The Saints will next face SUNY Canton in a midweek match up at Canton on Wednesday, with the first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 3:30 p.m.