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Box Score 2 HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team inched closer to a second consecutive Northeast Conference tournament berth with a sweep of visiting Sacred Heart in the regular season conference finale. With the Senior Day wins, the Knights improve to 16-18 (10-6 NEC), while the Pioneers fall to 12-27 (4-10) overall.
"We got clutch hits from different players that helped us with the sweep," Head Coach
Candi Letts said after the games, "Megan [Reiner] and Loren [Stavrou] kept us in the games and we never quit when we were behind. This team took care of business and now we have to see what shakes out in the NEC."
The Knights came from behind in both contests to snag two vital NEC victories and temporarily move up to third place. Saint Francis University and LIU Brooklyn, both battling with FDU for the two final playoff spots, have two more contests to play next weekend.
The Pioneers grabbed an early lead in the third inning of game one when Justine Sibthorp doubled to score Lauren Delgadillo, advanced to third on the throw home, and scored on a suicide squeeze play, 2-0.
The Knights answered in the bottom of the frame with a two-out two-run rally.
Alex Portesi (Chino, Calif./Don Antonio Lugo) reached second base on a throwing error and
Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School) singled her home, stole second, and was knocked home by classmate
Bryana Dorado (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard).
Emma Deluca (Vernon, N.J./Vernon Township High School) provided the go-ahead run with her third home run of the season the following inning.
Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) added a run with her eighth long ball of the campaign and Deluca doubled home
Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley High School) later in the inning to make it, 5-2, which would end up being the final score.
Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) threw her fifth consecutive complete game and moved to 11-6 on the season, although she wasn't at her best and allowed at least one baserunner in each inning.
FDU overturned a three-run deficit in game two despite a season-high six errors. The Knights committed four errors alone in the three-run second inning, all runs unearned against Stavrou.
The Knights responded immediately yet again when
Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) went yard with a two-run bomb to cut the deficit to one.
In the bottom of the fourth, Lopez struck out to start the inning but reached on a wild pitch.
Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) stepped to the plate with two outs and no hits on the day and promptly crushed a 1-1 pitch over the right centerfield fence to take the lead, 4-3. The junior backstop ties the single season program record of nine home runs and also extends her program-best career mark with 19.
FDU added two runs on consecutive RBI singles by Slye and Lopez with one out to grab a three-run lead that would hold, 6-3.
Stavrou threw four innings of three-hit ball, allowed no earned runs, walked three, and struck out two, while picking up her fifth win of the season. The junior moves to 5-8.
Reiner threw three perfect frames in relief with two strikeouts, picking up her first save of the season and extending her program record of seven career saves in her final regular season home contest.
The Knights have one game remaining – a road contest at Monmouth on Tuesday, April 28, at 4 p.m.
