The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team opened the 2010 Northeast Conference season at Robert Morris in Moon Township, PA on Saturday, falling in both games of a doubleheader, 9-1 and 17-1.

In the first game, Robert Morris put up four runs in the first inning and followed with four more in the bottom of the second inning to grap hold of a big lead heading into the top of the third, where Dana Walker (Middletown, DE/St. Marks) knocked a solo home run over the center field fence.

The Colonials added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game early. Kirsten Shreve (Kent, WA/Kentwood) took the loss on the mound for the Knights. Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) pitched three innings of relief, allowing four hits and striking out two.

Alexa Byrson earned the win for RMU, her sixth of the season, allowing no hits, no walks and striking out three. In relief, Annie Dubovec allowed the only Knights' hit of the game.

In the second game, the Knights got on the board early as Shreve smacked a home run in the top of the first inning. But that would be the Knights' only run of the game and the Colonials' bats got hot, putting four runs on the board in the first inning and six in the second.

RMU added four more runs in the bottom of the third and had a three-run fourth inning for the 17-1 advantage to end the game in five innings.

Caitlin Bradac (Garden Grove, CA/Garden Grove) took the loss for FDU, while Trina Fields (Norridge, IL/Ridgewood) struck out three in 2.1 innings of relief. Byrson again picked up the win for Robert Morris, allowing one hit.

"We need to continue to step up on defense," said Head Coach Dale Martin. "We continue to put pressure on ourselves by not executing and putting runners on base. We have our work cut out for us, but we will keep working hard and regain our focus. We have to control the things we can."

The Knights continue conference play with a doubleheader at Saint Francis PA in Loretto, PA on Sunday.