ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University softball team used a five-run top of the 7th inning to down the second-seeded Alfred University Saxons on Thursday in the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament. 
 
Erica Sanford (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) delivered a clutch two-run triple in the 7th inning in what was her lone at-bat of the game. Out of 13 hits, Sanford's three-bagger was the lone one that went for extra-bases. Jennifer Rodriguez (Sylmar, CA/John F. Kennedy) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs while delivering the go-ahead single in the 7th that scored a pair. Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark) (2-for-4), Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), and Taylor Kraft (Loudonville, NY/Shaker) (2-for-3, RBI) finished with multi-hit games as well. 
 
Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) picked up the win after going two innings in relief allowing two runs on two walks, one hit batter and one hit. She also struck out three. Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) started the game and went five-plus innings giving up three runs on five hits, two walks, and one hit batter while striking out four. 
 
A scoreless 1st inning out of both sides led to the Pioneers drawing first blood. With Rodriguez at third base Lauren Pual delivered a single to put the team up 1-0. The next batter, Kraft, brought Paul in from second on a single to make it 2-0. 
 
Conte held the Saxons scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd before Utica insured her another pair of runs. Back-to-back singles by Frankie Luster (Granada Hills, CA/Granada Hills Charter) and Zulager set Rodriguez up for an RBI base-hit before Little singled two batters later to make it 4-0. 
 
However, the Saxons finally broke through against Conte for one run in the bottom of the 3rd to trim their deficit to three runs. Conte, along with Alfred's Bennett, worked clean 4th innings to move the game into the 5th. 
 
While the Pioneers went down without a run in the top half, Alfred added one more in the bottom to make it a 4-2 game. Then in the 6th, the Saxons pieced together a three-run 6th to take the lead in the late stages. Alfred's Neto connected for a two-run home run with no outs before the next batter, Guzman, hit a solo shot to go up by one. Murray entered the game afterwards for Maggie Habernig (Kingston, NY/Kingston) and escaped without further damage. 
 
Down to their final three outs, the Pioneers started the inning with a well-worked walk by Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls). After she advanced to second on a Luster sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a Zulager single, Rodriguez singled to right field to bring Joss and Zulager in and take the lead. Little later singled home Rodrigez to make it a 7-5 game. 
 
With two outs and runners on second and third, Sanford drove a towering fly ball off of the right field fence that went for a triple, as well as two more insurance runs, as Utica entered the bottom of the 7th up 9-5. 
 
However, Alfred wouldn't go away quietly. A one-out, two-RBI double cut the Pioneers' lead in half before Murray came back with a strikeout for the second out. The next two batters reached base to load them out before Murray induced a game-ending line out to Cassidy Doiron (Beacon Falls, CT/Woodland Regional) at first base to seal the opening round win. 
 
Utica will await to play the winner of top-seeded St. John Fisher and fourth-seeded Russell Sage in the semifinals at 10 a.m. on Friday.