Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's softball team finally played its 2014 home opener on Wednesday and split its Northeast Conference doubleheader opener with Bryant at the FDU Softball Field. The Knights' bats awoke in the opener, as they pounded out 13 hits in a 7-2 victory. But the Bulldogs would score nine runs in the fifth inning of the nightcap to earn a five-inning 12-1 win. With the split, FDU is now 8-13 (1-1 NEC) on the season, while Bryant moves to 13-13 (1-1 NEC) overall.

Eight out the nine starters in the Knights' lineup recorded at least one hit in the opener, with junior Cindy Zamudio (Wilmington, Calif./Redondo Union) leading the way with a 3-for-4 performance, which included a long two-run homer down the left-field line. She also scored two runs. Junior Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard) added two hits, and sophomore Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) collected two RBI out of the leadoff spot.

Junior Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) (6-3) picked up her sixth complete game of the season, limiting the Bulldogs to only two earned runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out nine.

With no score in the bottom of the second, FDU exploded for five runs to take a 5-0 lead. The Knights loaded the bases to start the inning, before sophomore Julia Northcutt (Irvine, Calif./Northwood High School) started the scoring with a one-out RBI infield single to score Zamudio, who started the inning with a single. Wilen then followed with a two-run double to right field, scoring freshman Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) and redshirt senior Liz Woidt (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton). FDU capped the scoring with a pair of unearned runs when junior Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) reached on an error by the Bryant second baseman.

After the Bulldogs got a run back in the top of the third on a two-out RBI single from Madeline Velasquez, Zamudio crushed her two-run bomb in the bottom of the fourth with two outs to extend the advantage to 7-1.
Bryant starting pitcher Elle Madsen hit a solo home run to lead off the top of the sixth, but it was not nearly enough, as the Knights took the opener, 7-2.

Madsen also went the distance in the circle and allowed seven runs, three earned, on 13 hits, walked one and struck out seven in the losing effort.

In game two, the Bulldogs hit solo home runs in the first, second and third innings, with Aubrey Mable hitting two and Lauren Guy connecting on one to take a 3-0 lead.

The Knights got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when Nieves drove home Wilen with an RBI single to center field to make it 4-1, but she was left stranded on second base when the inning ended.

Bryant took advantage of three FDU errors in the top of the fifth en route to its nine-run inning. All nine runs came around to score with nobody out.

Knights' starter Samantha Lemm (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional High School) (0-3) was tagged with the loss after lasting only 2+ innings. The senior allowed three earned runs on four hits, walked one and struck out one. Sophomore Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School), who relived Lemm in the top of the third, was the victim of bad defense to start the fifth and was charged with six unearned runs on five hits in her 2+ innings of relief.

Madsen tossed her second complete game of the day and limited FDU to only one earned run on four hits while walking none and fanning three to pick up the victory.

Guy led the Bulldogs' 12-hit attack with three hits, including a home run, two RBI and two runs, while Mable added two round-trippers, two RBI and three runs.

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, April 5 when they travel to Moon Township, Pa. to take on Robert Morris for a NEC doubleheader. First pitch for game one is slated for 1 p.m.