UTICA, NY (nazathletics.com) – Nazareth Softball made history on Saturday afternoon, sweeping an Empire 8 doubleheader against SUNY Poly at Wildcat Softball Field. With the pair of wins, the Golden Flyers reached 23 victories, setting a new program record while also securing a top-four seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championships, set to begin Thursday, May 7 in the six-team tournament.
 
GAME ONE: NAZARETH 4, SUNY POLY 2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both teams were held scoreless through the first four innings as pitchers on both sides worked out of early traffic and kept hitters off balance.
• Nazareth broke through in the fifth inning with a three-run rally. Haleigh Suitor singled to spark the offense before Madison Hicks delivered an RBI double to open the scoring. Ashley Bell followed with an RBI single, and Alexis Brown added another run on a fielder's choice to give the Golden Flyers a 3-0 lead.
• SUNY Poly responded in the bottom half with a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Nazareth answered in the seventh. Brown singled, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a wild pitch to provide an insurance run and extend the lead to 4-2.
• The Golden Flyers closed it out in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the side to secure the win.

GAME NOTES:

• Madison Hicks' RBI double highlighted Nazareth's three-run fifth inning.
• Alexis Brown reached base and scored twice, adding a key insurance run late.
• Nazareth pitching limited SUNY Poly to just two runs despite multiple base runners early.

 
GAME TWO: NAZARETH 11, SUNY POLY 5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Nazareth jumped out early in game two as Alexis Brown reached base and scored on an RBI single from Bryanna Moroughan, followed by another run on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 in the first inning.
• SUNY Poly answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the first to even the score, and later took a 3-2 lead in the third after capitalizing on an error and timely hitting.
• The Golden Flyers responded in the fourth, tying the game on a sacrifice and a wild pitch before taking control in the fifth. Nazareth exploded for five runs in the inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Haleigh Suitor and Caitlyn Knap, along with a two-run single from Maddy Spakoski to build an 8-4 advantage.
• Nazareth continued to add on in the sixth as Knap and Brown each drove in runs to extend the lead to 11-4. SUNY Poly added a late run in the seventh, but the Golden Flyers closed it out to complete the sweep.

GAME NOTES:

• Nazareth scored 11 runs on consistent pressure across multiple innings.
• The five-run fifth inning proved to be the turning point in the game.
• Multiple Golden Flyers contributed RBIs in a balanced offensive effort.

UP NEXT:

• The Golden Flyers head down the road to RIT for an out of conference double header April 28th, first pitches at 3pm and 5pm.
• Nazareth soon enters the Empire 8 Championships as a top-four seed and will open tournament play on Thursday, May 7 in the six-team field, looking to build on a record-setting regular season.

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