The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team fell, 11-7, in nine innings to visiting Fordham before rolling past the Rams, 9-1, in five innings in the nightcap. The Knights improve to 8-22 on the season, while the Rams are now 27-14.
The Knights threatened early as Brianne Benedict (Alliance, OH/West Branch) (Alliance, OH) sent a double to left field in the bottom of the first inning of the first game and Justina Augustine (Geneva, NY/Geneva) (Geneva, NY) moved her with a sacrifice bunt, but Benedict was thrown out at home.
After the Rams put three runs on the board in the third inning, the Knights rallied in the bottom of the sixth with a string of four-straight singles with one out on the board. Both Caitlin Bradac (Garden Grove, CA/Garden Grove) (Garden Grove, CA) and Alex Schubert (Maybrook, NY) had RBI singles, scoring Lauren Hamilton (Woodinville, WA/Woodinville) (Woodenville, WA) and Lindsay Glidden (Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill) (Peachtree City, GA).
FDU knotted the score in the bottom of the seventh inning as Lauren Hamilton (Woodinville, WA/Woodinville) (Woodenville, WA) found a hole in right field and Brittany Sheppard (Mahwah, NJ/Paramus Catholic) (Mahwah, NJ) crossed the plate, making it 3-3.
International tie breaker rules were put into effect after the seventh inning, putting the last person to make an out onto second base at the start of the inning. Mary Beth Puccio started things off with a double to score Lindsey Kay Bright and Samantha Pellechio followed with a single that scored Puccio to give the Rams a 5-3 lead.
But Kirsten Shreve (Kent, WA/Kentwood) (Kent, WA) sent a home run over the left field fence to knot the score again, 5-5, heading into the ninth inning.
Melisa Andrews started things off with an RBI double and Puccio recorded a three-run home run. Jocelyn Dearborn added an RBI double as Fordham took an 11-5 advantage. Fairleigh Dickinson was able to score twice in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Rams took the 11-7 win.
The Knights started the scoring early in the second game as an Augustine scored on a fielding error. FDU added two more on two-out RBI walks in the second inning, but the Rams responded with a run in the top of the third.
Sheppard led off the fourth inning with a home run to center field. A double to right field by Augustine plated Benedict and Augustine scored on a wild pitch, giving the Knights a 5-1 edge.
The Knights sealed the win with the 8-run rule in the bottom of the fifth, recording three more runs on RBI walks.
“We had good energy again today, which is something that I think helped us to play well in both games,” said Head Coach Dale Martin. “We gave up a big inning in the first game, but we kept battling back, even in the extra innings. In the second game, we did a pretty good job of staying within ourselves and being disciplined at the plate as we continued to hit well.”
The Knights are back in action on Wednesday, April 8 when they host Drexel in a doubleheader that starts at 3:00 p.m.
