DuBois, PA - The Mount Aloysius softball team opened postseason play with a strong showing Wednesday afternoon, defeating Alfred State, 5-2, in the opening round of the AMCC Tournament in DuBois.
With the victory, first-year head coach Michelle Ross secured her first postseason win at the helm of the Mounties, who improved to 14-23 overall.
Behind another dominant outing from Jessica Koptcho and timely extra-base hitting, the Mounties controlled the game from start to finish. Koptcho tossed a complete game, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out nine batters across seven innings.
The Mounties struck first in the second inning when Taylor Doyle ripped a two-run triple down the right field line, bringing home Aislinn Myers and Maggie Cypher to give Mount Aloysius an early 2-0 advantage.
Alfred State answered with a run in the fourth inning, but the Mounties responded with a pivotal three-run sixth inning to regain full control of the contest.
Ava Doyle sparked the rally with an RBI triple down the left field line that scored Hanna Stedman. Moments later, Alysha Cutri lined an RBI double to left field before Greysyn Gable capped the inning with an RBI single to right center, extending the lead to 5-1.
The Pioneers added an unearned run in the sixth inning, but Koptcho shut the door from there, retiring the side in the seventh to seal the postseason victory.
Mount Aloysius totaled 10 hits in the win, led by two-hit performances from Ava Doyle, Cutri, Myers, and Taylor Doyle. Taylor Doyle finished with a team-high two RBIs, while Ava Doyle and Cutri each contributed run-scoring extra-base hits.
With the win, the Mounties advance in the AMCC Tournament as they'll play #2 seed Penn State Altoona tomorrow at 3:00 PM. The Mounties will look for revenge after they were swept by Penn State Altoona last Tuesday.
#GoMounties
