The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team dropped a fair of tough losses to LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, April 7 in Brooklyn, NY.  The Knights fell, 4-5 and 7-14 to move to 20-11 on the season with an even 5-5 Northeast Conference mark. 

A homerun by senior Caitlin Bradac (Garden Grove, CA/Garden Grove) gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but an LIU homerun in the bottom of the first tied the game at one.

The Knights and Blackbirds maintained the 1-1 tie through the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, LIU loaded the bases and took a 1-4 lead on a three-run double.  The Blackbirds added one more run on a second-consecutive double.

The Knights battled back in the top of the seventh, when Mikalya Fernandez hit a two-run single up the middle.  A double from Paige Castro (Elk Grove, CA/Franklin) drove in another run, but the Knights were unable to tie the score before the game ended.

Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) earned the loss for the Knights.  She allowed five runs on five hits.  She struck out four and walked three. 

A string of singles and a double from Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) gave FDU a 3-0 lead in the top of the first but the Blackbirds did not let the Knights hold onto the lead for long.

A string of six hits, including a three-run homerun gave enabled LIU to score nine runs in the bottom of the second.

A solo homerun by Bradac and a three-run blast by Kirsten Shreve (Kent, WA/Kentwood) added four runs for FDU in the top of the third.

The Blackbirds went on to add one run in the third and four runs in the fifth to finish the game with a 7-14 lead. 

Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) earned the loss for FDU with three earned runs on five hits. 

After facing Iona on Wednesday, April 11, the Knights will begin a five-date home stand with double headers against Saint Peter's, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Columbia and Mount St. Mary's.