EDWARDSVILLE, PA -  The Wilkes University softball squad continued their March homestand with a pair of games against the Alfred Saxons at a cloudy Ralston Athletic Complex Friday afternoon.
 
The Colonels (7-5) won game one 2-1 but lost to the Saxons (5-6) in game two 4-0. 
 
The pitchers for both squads showed up early in game one, with neither team notching a first-inning run.  The Saxons third baseman made an excellent catch of a foul ball near the third base fence to close the first inning.  A deep double from the Saxons put Alfred with a runner on second with no outs in the top of the second, before a sacrifice bunt put the runner on third.  A sacrifice grounder brought in the runner to home to give Alfred a 1-0 lead as the two squads headed into the top of the third.  The Saxons threatened with a runner on third and one out in the top of the third after another sac bunt and a stolen base, but the Colonels got out of the danger with a pair of weak grounders.
 
A deep single put the Colonels in scoring position with runners on first and third with two outs in the bottom of the third, but a pop out to shallow center ended the scoring opportunity.  Neither team managed much offense as the pitchers continued to deal through four innings.  A grounder got the Colonels leadoff runner into scoring position with one out in the bottom of the fifth.  A walk and a wild pitch gave the runners at second and third with a lone out still.  A two RBI double down the right field line by Hayden Calaman (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) gave the Colonels a 2-1 lead over the Saxons heading into the sixth.
 
An uneventful sixth brought the teams to a crucial top of the seventh with the Saxons looking to stay alive.  A strikeout and a pop out put the Colonels one out away from victory with a runner on first, and a flyout to right field sealed the 2-1 victory for the Navy and Gold.  Pitcher Hope Mullins (Midland, VA/Liberty) earned the victory in the pitchers circle for the Colonels, throwing three strikeouts in three scoreless innings of work. 
 
A leadoff single turned into a runner in scoring position after a stolen base for the Saxons in the first inning of game two.  A double past third base gave Alfred an early 1-0 lead, and an errant throw trying to catch a runner stealing let the Saxons take a 2-0 advantage.   Neither team managed much more on offense until Alfred got a runner on second with no outs in the top of the third off of a stolen base.  A single to center field made it 3-0 Alfred. 
 
A leadoff double for the Colonels in the bottom of the fifth put them in scoring position, but a fielders choice ended the potential run for the Colonels.   The Navy and Gold got runners on first and second with two outs, but a strikeout ended that potential run as well.  Alfred tacked on an insurance run off of a pair of Colonel errors to make it a 4-0 final score.
 
The Colonels were held to just two hits in game two and recorded three errors.  Rachel Pritchard (Wilmington, DE/Concord) pitched a complete game in defeat, throwing five strikeouts and allowing only one earned run.  Mikaela Perez threw a complete game two hit shutout for the Saxons
 
The Colonels are scheduled to play again next Wednesday in a doubleheader against PSU-Hazleton.  First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in a series the Colonels lead 7-3 in the live stats era.