Box Score WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team was two-hit and defeated, 7-2, at Army on Wednesday afternoon just a day after a scheduled doubleheader at Rider University was canceled due to poor field conditions. With the win, the Black Knights improve to 9-15 on the season, while the Knights fall to 3-9 overall.
"We didn't get on track today," Head Coach
Candi Letts said, "
Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School) pitched well enough to help us succeed today."
Army's Caroline Smith twirled a gem and her offense provided some big hits in the five-run rout.
After three straight groundouts from the visitors in their first frame, Kasey McCravey launched a solo shot to left to start the bottom of the first. Stavrou allowed a single in the inning but limited any further damage.
FDU struck back in the top of the second when
Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley High School), who had doubled to the right-centerfield gap, came around to score on a throwing error by Smith.
With the game tied at one, the Black Knights got two on via a hit batter and a fielder's choice between two outs. McCravey walked to load the bases but it was a Slye error on what should have been an inning-ending putout that opened the floodgates and led to four unearned runs between Alee Rashenskas misplayed grounder and Kristen McPeek's bases-clearing triple.
Neither team recorded a hit over the next three frames but Army added a sixth in the fifth inning with a Emily Gray RBI single. For the third time of the contest, the hosts loaded the bases, but Stavrou pitched out of the jam.
The Knights got one back in the sixth.
Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) and
Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) both walked and
Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) knocked home Wilen with a single to right.
Smith helped her own cause with the final run of the game with a RBI double in the bottom of the sixth.
The Knights loaded the bases in the seventh but couldn't capitalize.
Stavrou falls to 0-3 on the season, while Smith improves to 3-8. The former went the distance but allowed eight hits, three earned runs, with four walks and four punchouts. Smith went the full seven and allowed just two hits but also five walks.
On FDU's scoring play in the sixth, Lerma reached 10 RBIs on the season and Wilen scored her 10th run of the season. Lerma tallied 15 RBIs in her freshman year in 31 more contests.
"We need to learn and get better from this outcome." Letts added.
The Knights open up Northeast Conference play this weekend with two road doubleheaders, first at Wagner on Saturday, March 28, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. FDU travels to Central Connecticut State the following day for a pair of contests starting at noon.
