MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny softball team opened their final home weekend of the season Friday (April 29) against Wittenberg in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) action.
 
The Gators won game one 5-4 on a Sophia Godzak (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) walk-off single while shutting out the Tigers for a 3-0 victory in game two,
 
Game One – Allegheny 5, Wittenberg 4
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Joplin Osgood (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) doubled to right field. Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) then homered to deep center field as the Gators took a 2-0 lead. The home run was Genareo's second of the year.
 
The lead was short lived as the Tigers plated two in the fifth to tie the game. They added two more in the seventh as they gained a 4-2 lead.
 
Allegheny put runners in scoring position in the seventh. Aleya Belardinelli (Melbourne, Fla./West Shore) doubled to left center, scoring Isabelle Wakefield (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) and Paige Ziggas (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) to tie the game. Genareo singled to move Belardinelli to third. Godzak delivered the heroics, singling to bring Belardinelli home for the winning run.
 
Genareo had two hits while driving home two runs on her home run. Belardinelli also had a pair of runs driven in. Cameron Long (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) also had a multi-hit game while Ziggas, Osgood, Godzak and Anna Castlevetere (Clarence, N.Y./Nardin Academy) had hits. 
 
Belardinelli earned the win, striking out four.
 
Game Two – Allegheny 3, Wittenberg 0
 
The Gators struck first again in game two. In the second, Long blasted her second home run of the season, a solo shot to left center, to give the Gators a 1-0 lead.
 
In the third, Belardinelli led-off with a single. Godzak would drive her home with a single to center, extending the lead to 2-0.
 
Long singled to lead-off the sixth, advancing to third on an error. After Hadley Horensky (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Seton LaSalle Catholic) walked, Samantha Dzierba (Colden, N.Y./Orchard Park) drove Long home as the lead grew to 3-0.
 
Dzierba and the Gators' defense held the Tiger offense at bay in the seventh as they completed their fourth shutout of the season.
 
Belardinelli had three hits in game two. Long had two, including the solo home run, while Genareo, Godzak, Horensky and Dzierba also tallied a hit.
 
In the win, Dzierba struck out four.
 
The Gators will wrap-up their final regular season in the NCAC, and celebrate their seniors, Saturday (April 30) against Hiram.