Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW YORK -- The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team's offense came alive in game one against Columbia but was kept quiet in game two against Canisius as the Knights split the two games.

The Knights (4-16) came back from a 6-0 deficit to beat Columbia (3-17) in game one, 14-9, and were shutout in game two, 6-0, by Canisius (7-18)

Game 1 (Fairleigh Dickinson 14, Columbia 9)
Columbia jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the first two innings of the game but Fairleigh Dickinson responded quickly and cut the lead to one before taking the lead and never looking back.

The 14 runs of the most since the Knights scored 13 runs against Saint Peter's last season and it the first time that the Knights have scored 14 since scoring 14 against Saint Peter's back in 2014.

Columbia scored without recording a hit in the bottom of the first. Four walks from Knights' starter Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) led to a run. Lopez did work around the free passes to get out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and pop out.

The Lions then added to their lead to 6-0 after scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. After the lead-off batter was retired, Columbia strung together three straight hits to load the bases. Maddie Gott singled to bring in a run and then Taylor Troutt hit a grand slam to make it 6-0 Columbia.

Fairleigh Dickinson got back within one in the top of the third. Madelaine Wilen (Bakersfield, Calif./Ridgeview), Francine Villalobos (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley) and Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) all drove in runs in the top of the third. The Knights also got two runs via Columbia miscues in the field.

Wilen singled through the left side to plate Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville). Villalobos brought in Stephanie Collins (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) to make it 6-3 Lions. Kellie Natham (Arcadia, Calif./Maranatha) reached on an error that allowed Wilen to score -- tied the all-time mark for runs scored. Villalobos came in on Lerma's sacrifice fly.

Fairleigh Dickinson took a 7-6 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.

Collins drove in her third run of the season when she singled to leftfield to plate Lopez. Collins came around to score when Mercier grounded out to short.

Alexandra Yule homered on the first pitch of the bottom half of the fourth to tie the game at seven.

The Knights offense hung another crooked number in the top of the fifth. Fairleigh Dickinson scored six runs on six hits to take a 13-7 lead.

Lerma doubled to center and Cervantes followed with a single to put Knights on the corners. Lopez drove both when she singled to center and moved to second on the throw to make it 9-7 Knights. After a pitching change, Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) plated Lopez with a single. Syle scored on a Wilen single. Wilen stole two bases and then scored along with Mericer on a Villalobos single to make it 13-7 Knights. Wilen also scored in the inning to break the school record for runs scored in a career.

Columbia got two in the sixth to make it 13-9, but the Knights added an insurance run in the seventh when Mercier hit a sacrifice fly to plate Wilen.

Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical) (1-5) picked up her first win of the season after pitching 5 2/3 innings of relief. Stavrou surrendered three earned and scattered five hits. Kalya Maloney (0-4) took the loss after giving up three earned in an inning of relief.

Game 2 (Canisius 6, FDU 0)
The Fairleigh Dickinson offense was stymied in game two of the day by Canisius after scoring 14 runs against Columbia in the first game of the day.

Lauren Castro pitched five innings of shutout softball to secure the 6-0 win for the Golden Griffins. Allie Block came in and pitched the sixth and seventh and preserved the shutout.

Canisius scored in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings and limited the Knights to three hits after the Knights had 19 in their first game of the day.

The Golden Griffins got on the board with a Denver Keller solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. They added three more in the fourth with a pair of RBI singled from Castro and Keller and a sacrifice fly from Samantha Sharkey.

Meghan Cuda hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 5-0 and Alexis Roman squeezed in Sharkey in the sixth off a bunt.

Reanna Cervantes (Upland, Calif./Upland) and Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) had the hits for the Knights. Slye singled and stole second in the third inning but was doubled off second when Madelaine Wilen (Bakersfield, Calif./Ridgeview) flew out to center. Cervantes singled in the fifth was erased on a fielder's choice and doubled center in the seventh and moved Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) to third. The two were stranded there when the game ended.

Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) (2-6) gave up four runs in three innings and took the loss. Lerma pitched the final three and allowed two runs -- one earned.

The Knights will play the same two again tomorrow, starting at 10 a.m. with Canisius and Columbia at 2 p.m.