HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team will host the Colonials of Robert Morris in a Northeast Conference double header on Sunday, April 7 at FDU Softball Field in Hackensack, N.J. The twin bill is slated to begin at noon.
The Colonials are fresh off a sweep of Monmouth in West Long Branch, N.J. on Saturday. RMU defeated the Hawks, 4-0 and 6-2, while allowing just one earned run on the day and knocking four hits over the fence. The Colonials move to 18-9 on the year with a 4-0 Northeast Conference record.
Offensively, the Colonials are led by freshman Ashley Gerhart, who is currently hitting .348 through 23 games. Sophomore Tess Apke has hit .303 in 25 games and paces the team with 13 RBI and four homeruns.
The 2012 Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, Nicole Sleith, leads the team in the circle with a 1.85 ERA and 8-4 record. The sophomore has 108 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched with an opponent average of .186.
The Colonials were picked as the NEC Coaches' Poll preseason favorite after finishing the 2012 season as the regular season champion with a conference record of 15-5.
FDU and RMU split a pair of games in Moon Twp. last season. With no hits through five innings pitcher Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) earned a 2-0 win in game one against the Colonials, but the Knights fell 12-11 in an offensive battle in game two.
The Knights are 12-12 this season after a recent split against Columbia in Manhattan. Freshmen Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley High School) and Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) led the team offensively, with averages of .338 and .329, respectively. Sophomore Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) is leading the team with 14 RBI and maintains a .267 average at the plate.
FDU's pitching staff has held a 2.25 team ERA through 24 games this season. Freshman Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School) leads the team with an ERA of 1.75 and a record of 4-1, while senior Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) has five wins and three saves on the year.
Following the Sunday double header, the Knights will face Saint Peter's University on Wednesday, April 10 in Jersey City, N.J.
