Game 1 | Game 2
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Nazareth junior Lisa Nazarenko tossed a two-hit shutout in the first game and slugged a solo home run in the second game Saturday to lift host Nazareth to an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader sweep over previously unbeaten Alfred in softball. Nazareth won by scores of 1-0 and 6-1.

Nazareth is now 6-6 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Alfred dropped to 14-2 overall and 0-2 in E8 games. The victories mark Nazareth's first-ever softball wins over Alfred.

Nazarenko struck out 13 batters in the first game and allowed only singles in the first and third innings. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning when Nazareth's Katie Valerio opened the frame with a single off Alfred starter Chelsea Cary. One out later, Valerio advanced to second on Nazarenko's single. After Christa Harris walked to load the bases, Valerio scored when a grounder by Lizzie Barlow was misplayed in the infield.

Nazarenko then got the side out in the seventh to hand the Saxons their first loss of the season.

In the second game, Nazareth had two home run hitters in Nazarenko and senior Laura Persico, who connected back-to-back to open the fifth inning. Nazareth built a 3-0 lead in the third on a run-scoring single from Nazarenko and a two-run double by Persico.

The Golden Flyers added another run in the fourth following a double by Jen Linnan and an RBI single by Polly Muehlenkamp.

Nazareth had 10 hits overall to back freshman pitcher Kelly Kocher, who won her second game of the season. She scattered six hits and struck out eight.

Alfred's Jessica Figallo had two of Alfred's six hits in the second game. Shannon Mather drove in the Saxons' lone run in the second game with a fourth-inning single.

Nazareth is back in action Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader at Brockport at 3 p.m.