EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team split its second day of Northeast Conference competition with a 3-1 loss and an 11-2 victory at Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, March 24. With the split, the Knights move to 10-10 on the year, with a 2-2 NEC record. The Mount moves to 7-14 on the year, with an even 2-2 conference mark.

In the opener, the Mount took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as it started the inning with two singles to put runners on the corner before a three-run homer over the center-field fence gave MSM an early 3-0 lead.

Senior Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) then held the Mount to just one more hit after the first inning.

The Knights produced an offensive swing in the top of the seventh inning. Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) reached second on a throwing error by the third baseman and moved to third on a groundout. A successful bunt by Cindy Zamudio (Wilmington, Calif./Redondo Union) drove Nieves home to put the Knights on the scoreboard, but one run was all the Knights would produce.

Shaughnessy was charged with the loss in the complete-game effort. She allowed three earned runs on four hits, while striking out three and walking two.

Offensively, the Knights saw four hits, each from a different player.

After three scoreless innings, game two saw an offensive surge by the Knights when freshman Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley High School) walked with two outs in the top of the fourth inning and advanced to third on a single down the right-field line by senior Mikayla Fernandez (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo). FDU then took a 1-0 lead on a double steal, as Syle stole home after Fernandez stole second.

The Mount responded to the Knights' lead in the bottom of the fourth with two runs on three hits to take a 2-1 lead.

A fielding error made way for Emma Deluca (Vernon, N.J./Vernon Township High School)-Knighton to reach first to begin the top of the fifth. Deluca advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Julia Northcutt (Irvine, Calif./Northwood High School) and moved to third on a ground out. After a walk by Hayley Floyd (Selah, Wash./Selah High School), sophomore Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) hit a three-run homer to center field to put the Knights ahead, 4-2.

Fernandez doubled to right field to begin the sixth inning and moved to third on a wild pitch before Deluca recorded her first RBI of the year with a single to left field, enabling the Knights to take a 5-2 lead.

The Knights sealed the victory in the seventh inning by adding six runs on five hits and three walks. FDU saw RBI from Slye, Shaughnessy, Deluca and freshman Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) to bring the final score to 11-2.

Freshman Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School) earned the win in game two and moves to 3-0 on the year. Stavrou allowed two earned runs on five hits in the complete-game victory, as she walked just one and struck out four.

Offensively, the Knights produced 10 hits, with Fernandez, Zamudio and Deluca all recording multiple hits, while Deluca and Dorado paced the team, each with three RBI.

The Knights will host LIU Brooklyn on Friday, March 29 in the 2013 home opener. First pitch of the doubleheader in Hackensack, N.J. is slated for 1 p.m.