Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HACKENSACK, N.J. - The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team used four home runs, solid pitching and some timely breaks to sweep Mount St. Mary's to open Northeast Conference play with a pair of victories.

The Knights hit three home runs in the first game of the day to jump start the offense and then got some key breaks in the bottom of the eighth to walk-off with the win. The two Knights' runs of the second game via a home run in the one-run win. Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) picked up both wins on the day -- one in relief and one complete game.

Fairleigh Dickinson is now 7-21 on the season and 2-0 in NEC play. Mount St. Mary's falls to 6-23 overall and 0-2 in the NEC.

Game 1 (Fairleigh Dickinson 6, Mount St. Mary's 5 -- Final 8 innings)
Both teams used the home run to start the offense in the first game -- that was delay and hour due to weather.

Marisa Mayes got Mount St. Mary's on the board in the first inning with a solo home run to right center.

Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical), who started for the Knights, did not allow a run over of the next five innings. The senior worked out of jams in the second -- two runners on and bases loaded jams in the third and fifth innings.

In the third inning, the Knights would hit two of their three homers when Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) led off the innings with a solo blast, her first of the season. Two batters later Madelaine Wilen (Bakersfield, Calif./Ridgeview) hit her first of the year to center field to make it 2-1.

Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) then homered in the fifth inning to give the Knights a 3-1 lead. It was Slye's first of the season also.

The Mountaineers would respond in the sixth. Lindsey Heinze drove in two runs with a single to left to the game at three. Both teams had runners on in the seventh but could not break through and the game went into extra innings.

In the eight, Mount St. Mary's took a 5-3 lead on a home run from Rachel Heinze. Mount St. Mary's would get another runner to second but Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), who came on in the seventh, got a strike out and pop out to end the frame.

Needing two runs to extend the game the Knights had two on -- a walk from Natham and an error allowed Reanna Cervantes (Upland, Calif./Upland) to reach -- and two away. Lopez hit the first pitch of her at-bat on ground to third that the third basemen fielded, turned and try to get the force out at third but Cervantes beat her to the base and extended the inning and allowed a run to score.

The next hitter -- Slye -- got on when a throwing error pulled the Mountaineers' first basemen off the bag, which allowed the tying run to score at make it five all. Wilen then hit the first pitch that she saw right back to the circle that was not controlled by the pitcher that allowed Stephanie Collins (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) to score the winning run.

Lopez (4-9) picked up the win after pitching the seventh and eighth. Sam Lichtner (2-8) took the loss after going the full seven-and-two-thirds innings and allowing six runs -- three earned.


Game Two (Fairleigh Dickinson 2, Mount St. Mary's 1)
Like in game one, both teams used the home run to supply the offense. All three combined runs came on round-trippers.

Both starters, Marian Ruf for Mount and Cheryl Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) for Fairleigh Dickinson, allowed seven base runners combined over the first four complete frames. Lopez (5-9) got her second win of the day. The right-hander got the complete game and allowed seven hits, one run and struck out four on a season-high 135 pitches.

Neither team would score until Mount St. Mary's struck first in the fifth inning. Rachel Heinze hit her second homer of the day, this one was a solo home run to center field on a 2-0 offering.

In the home half of the sixth, the Knights got a leadoff double -- that fell in behind the leftfielder -- from Madison Lerma (Escondido, Calif./Escondido). Kellie Natham (Arcadia, Calif./Maranatha) homered in the next at-bat to left field to give the Knights the lead for good. The homer was Natham's second of the season.

The Mountaineers would get runners on in the top of the seventh. Holly Buckel singled to start and Marisa Mayes singled two batters later. Heinze was next but flew out to center on a full count pitch from Lopez that was not deep enough to score Mayes at third, for the second out. Shea McFarland then flew out to right to end the game.

Fairleigh Dickinson's doubleheader with Bryant that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed and will be made up at a to be announced date. The Knights return to action on Tuesday April 5 when they travel to Stony Brook for a single game.