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Box Score 2 LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - In the final non-conference doubleheader before the Northeast Conference season opens for Fairleigh Dickinson, the Knights ran into the Saints of Siena on Thursday afternoon. Siena (12-9) took both halves of the twin bill over Fairleigh Dickinson (5-21). Siena's offense got going early in both contests and the Knights could not mount a comeback in either contest.
Game 1 (Siena 13, Fairleigh Dickinson 3 --- 5 innings)Fairleigh Dickinson and Siena did not score in the first inning, but Siena made up for that by scoring five in the second, six in the third and three in the fourth to earn the 13-3 win in five innings.
The Knights did all their scoring in the top of the third to make it a 5-3 game. The Saints then responded with the six-spot in the third.
Sammy Smaldone went 4-for-4 with four RBI -- including a three-run home run -- and Melanie Kalesse and Paige Hess each drove in a pair to led the Siena offense.
Offensively for the Knights, all three runs came on
Reanna Cervantes (Upland, Calif./Upland)' three-run double in the third.
Kalesse tripled in the second, which scored two, to open the scoring for the Saints. Kalesse then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. An error allowed the fourth run to score before Smaldone ended the scoring with a double to left that drove in Brooke Taylor.
In the Knights' third inning,
Francine Villalobos (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley) lead off with a single and Madison followed with another single. Both stole a base and
Kellie Natham (Arcadia, Calif./Maranatha) walked to load the bases before Cervantes unloaded then with her double to left field.
Siena responded with six runs in the bottom of the third. Taylor singled to drive the second of the inning Smaldone homered to bring in three more to make it 10-3. Hess hit a solo blast two batters later to give Siena an 11-3 advantage.
Three straight hits in the fourth inning led to two more runs to give Siena a 10-run lead, 13-3.
Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) (1-5) started for the Knights and took the loss after allowing 10 runs -- six earned -- in two-and-a-third innings. Lauren Butts (6-3) earned the winning by going the full five innings and allowing the three runs.
Game 2 (Siena 7, Fairleigh Dickinson 2)Siena got on the board early in game number two and did not allow the Knights get back into it. The Saints scored twice in the first and single runs in the second, third, fourth and then added two more in the fifth.
Madysen Cossack drove in two runs and four other Saints had one RBI each. Fairleigh Dickinson committed two errors which allowed two runs to score unearned. Cossack's two RBI came in the bottom of the first when she doubled to center field.
Siena scored on a wild pitch in the in the second inning and on a fielder's choice in the third.
Paige Hess doubled to left center to score Sammy Smaldone. In the fifth, the Saints got a pair of runs from RBI singles from Jazmin Ortiz and Sarah Ho.
The Knights got on the board in the top of the sixth inning.
Kellie Natham (Arcadia, Calif./Maranatha) doubled to center, which was followed by a single from
Reanna Cervantes (Upland, Calif./Upland).
Holly Mercier (Corona, Calif./Santiago) stepped in and singled to right on a 0-2 pitch to knock in Natham. It is the freshman's ninth RBI of the season.
Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) -- two batters later -- ground out to short that brought in Cervantes, who moved up on a pass ball, from third. Lopez now has nine RBI this season.
Lopez (3-9) took the loss after surrendering two earned -- four overall -- over three innings. Antonia Edwards (3-1) got the win in game two. Edwards shutout the Knights over the first five innings and allowed just four hits.
Up next, for Fairleigh Dickinson is a pair of doubleheaders this weekend to open Northeast Conference play. On Saturday the Knights host Mount St. Mary's for two, first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at FDU Softball Field. The Knights then host Bryant on Sunday in another doubleheader, which is set to start at 12 p.m.
