The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team was edged in a doubleheader by visiting Wagner, in two one-run games, falling 10-9 and 5-4. The Knights are now 11-25 on the season, falling to 2-10 in Northeast Conference play, while the Seahawks improve to 13-24 overall and 7-5 in league action.
After Caitlin Bradac (Garden Grove, CA/Garden Grove) worked out of the top half of the first inning, forcing a pop-up to end the inning, the Knights' offense got to work early. Kirsten Shreve (Kent, WA/Kentwood) led off with a hit to left field and moved to second on a fielding error. Kristin Kinneer advanced her to third with a well-executed sacrifice bunt and Shreve scored on an RBI single up the middle from Mikayla Fernandez (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo).
Bradac blooped a single into right field and Lauren Hamilton (Woodinville, WA/Woodinville) drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Alex Schubert had a two-run shot up the left line and Dana Walker (Middletown, DE/St. Marks) followed her with a pair of RBI on a double to center field to give the Knights a 5-0 lead.
The Seahawks put a run on the board in the top of the third inning to make it a four-run game and Wagner was able to add four runs in the fifth inning, with three coming on a home run over the left field fence by Amanda Garcia, to knot the score.
Wagner added two more runs in the fifth to break the tie and take the lead, 7-5, on an RBI single from Laura Hennig and Hailey Corthell scored on a fielding error.
But FDU responded in the bottom half of the inning as Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) had a two-run double to right field to tie the game at 7-7 heading into the sixth inning.
Three runs from Wagner in the top of the sixth reclaimed the lead for the Seahawks, but the Knights put a pair up in the bottom of the inning on a Bradac double that pushed Fernandez and Shreve across the plate.
In a 10-9 game with two outs and a runner on second, Kara Boyd (Alexandria, PA/Juniata Valley) sent a pop up into the infield that was dropped and Shaughnessy scored, but after conferring the umpires called runner's interference, ending the game with Wagner taking the 10-9 win.
Bradac finished the game 2-for-3, while Fernandez and Shreve were both 2-for-4.
Wagner took the lead in the second game with two runs in the second inning. But in the bottom of the third Hamilton had one that dropped in for a base hit and sent Kinneer across the plate to put the Knights on the board.
Kristen Coughlan (Mount Royal, NJ/Kingsway)'s RBI single down the left line plated Bradac and a bobble in the field allowed Hamilton to score. Schubert scored on an RBI single from Walker as FDU took a 4-2 advantage.
Wagner was able to score a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to knot the score, 4-4. The score remained tied until Garcia's hit up the middle scored Emily Pierce, who was at third, to give the Seahawks a 5-4 edge heading into the bottom of the seventh and the Knights were unable to add any more runs in the bottom half.
The Knights are back in action when they play at Manhattan on April 21 in a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m.
