Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team swept Saint Peter's on Wednesday at the FDU Softball Field. Aided by a seven-run first inning, the Knights cruised to a 14-2 victory in five innings in the opener, before hanging on to win the nightcap, 7-6. With the victories, FDU improves to 10-13 on the season, while the Peacocks fall to 4-26 overall.

FDU recorded 11 hits in game one, with six coming in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) knocked the first pitch of the inning over the center field fence for her first home run of the season to make it 1-0, before the Knights loaded the bases with one out. Freshman Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) extended the lead to 3-0 when she delivered a two-run single to left field, scoring juniors Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) and Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard).

After redshirt senior Liz Woidt (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third, freshman Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) ripped a two-run single to left-center field, plating junior Cindy Zamudio (Wilmington, Calif./Redondo Union) and Lerma. But FDU was not finished, as back-to-back walks reloaded the bases, which allowed freshman Alex Portesi (Chino, Calif./Don Antonio Lugo) to rope a two-run double to right-center field, with Lopez and sophomore Julia Northcutt (Irvine, Calif./Northwood High School) coming around to increase the advantage to 7-0.

The Knights would score four more times in the bottom of the second to extend the lead to 11-0. FDU once again loaded the bases, and with one out Zamudio scored on Lopez's RBI fielder's choice, where everyone was safe on the play. Lerma then scored when Northcutt reached on an error and FDU capped its scoring in the frame with back-to-back two-out-bases-loaded walks from Portesi and Nieves.

After the Peacocks got two runs back (both unearned) in the top of the third on Amber Velasquez's two-out-two-run single, the Knights responded with two more runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to ahead 13-2, as Woidt drove home Zamudio with an RBI single, and Northcutt plated Lerma with an RBI groundout.

Woidt then completed the scoring for FDU with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, as Portesi scored to make it 14-2 for a mercy-rule victory.

Zamudio led the offense by going 3-for-4 with three runs and a stolen base. Portesi added two hits and three RBI, while Woidt collected two hits and two RBI. Lerma was never retired en route to scoring three runs, and Lopez scored two and drove home three.

The offensive output was more than enough for junior Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) (7-3), who earned the victory and her seventh complete game of the season. She retired the first eight batters of the game, allowed two unearned runs on five hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Crystal Carlucci lasted only two-thirds of an inning in the loss, as she allowed six earned runs on five hits.

In game two, the Knights struck for three runs in the bottom of the first for a 3-0 lead. Woidt came through with a clutch two-out-three-run double to the gap in right-center field, as Wilen, Portesi and Zamudio all came around to score.

After Carlucci cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the second, Wilen answered for FDU with her second home run of the day, a two-run shot over the right-center field fence, scoring sophomore Emma Deluca (Vernon, N.J./Vernon Township High School).

Neither side scored over the next two innings, but the Peacocks' Samantha Storms hit a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left field with nobody out in the top of the fifth to trim the Knights' lead to 5-3.

But FDU answered with a two-run bomb of its own in the bottom half of the frame when Zamudio hit her team-leading four home run of the season. Nieves was on base with the two-out round tripper, which extended the advantage to 7-3 and proved to be the game-winning hit.

Saint Peter's scored a single run in the top of the sixth, before making it interesting for the Knights in the top of the seventh. Lerma, who started in the circle for FDU, recorded a strike out to start the inning but issued back-to-back walks, resulting in senior Samantha Lemm (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional High School) to come in relief. Lemm would yield a single to load the bases before issuing an RBI walk. After recording a soft lineout to shortstop for the second out, she would allow another free pass with the bases loaded, cutting the lead to 7-6. But Lemm was then able to get Storms to strikeout to end the game and clinch the sweep.

Woidt paced the FDU offense by going 2-for-2 with three RBI, while Zamudio and Wilen both added two runs and two RBI, as the Knights collected eight hits.

Lerma (2-2) earned the victory after tossing 6.1 innings, where she allowed six runs, four earned, on 11 hits while walking six and striking out four. Lemm picked up the team's first save of the season, yielding one hit, two walks and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

Erica Colon was charged with the loss after allowing seven runs, four earned, on seven hits to go along with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work.

The Peacocks recoded 12 hits and were led by Storms, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs, and Candice Koch, who went 3-for-3 with a run scored.

FDU will return to action on Saturday, April 12 when it hosts Central Connecticut in a Northeast Conference makeup doubleheader. First pitch for game one at the FDU Softball Field is slated for 1 p.m.