The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team was swept in a doubleheader with visiting Drexel on Wednesday afternoon. Drexel took the first game, 8-5, and the second game, 11-1, in five innings. The Dragons improve to 20-11 overall, while the Knights fall to 8-24 on the season.
The Dragons put up one run in the first inning off a Lisa Williams home run. They added three more in the second inning on a Sandi Wambold's home run and a two-RBI double by Williams, giving DU the 4-0 edge.
Brianne Benedict (Alliance, OH/West Branch) had the answer though, smacking a grand slam over the left field fence into the bleachers in the bottom of the second to knot the score, 4-4.
Drexel reclaimed the lead with two runs in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Devon Metcalf and an RBI single by Williams.
A two-run shot by Christina Rodriguez in the fifth inning gave the Dragons an 8-4 advantage, and the Knights were able to put one of the board in the bottom of the inning as Lindsay Glidden (Peachtree City, GA/Starr's Mill)'s RBI single scored Lauren Hamilton (Woodinville, WA/Woodinville), who reached on a walk. But it wasn't enough as the Dragons took the 8-5 win.
Caitlin Bradac (Garden Grove, CA/Garden Grove) scattered seven hits in five innings, striking out five. Trina Fields (Norridge, IL/Ridgewood) pitched two hit-less innings of relief.
In the second game, the Dragons again scored first as Rodriguez sent a double to the right center field fence to score Metcalf. A two run single from Wambold and an RBI single up the middle by Paige Collings gave Drexel a 4-0 lead.
The Dragons added to their lead with four runs in the fourth inning. Alex Schubert sent one over the right field fence to make it 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but a two-run shot by Rodriguez gave the Dragons an 11-1 lead and ended the game in the fifth inning.
"Bri had a great hit with the grand slam and that was a great way to get us back in the game," said Head Coach Dale Martin. "But we continually complicated things- with errors in the field and pitchers missing spots. We just gave up too many runs, which is something that we'd done a good job of avoiding. Drexel hit the ball very well, and a combination of those things led to the losses. Hopefully we'll be able to work on the changes necessary and improve before the weekend."
The Knights will return to conference play when they host Long Island on Friday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m.
