CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team picked its first win of the season in the second game on Friday at the Chattanooga Frost Classic against the hosts. The Knights fell to the Demons of Northwestern State in game one.
 
The Knights will play two games against tomorrow against UT Martin and Saint Louis.
 
Game 1– Northwestern State 11 (6-5-1), Fairleigh Dickinson (0-6) 3 -- F/6
 
Northwestern State opened the game with two home runs in the bottom of the first inning. A two-run shot from Kellye Kincannon and a solo shot from Micayla Sorosiak got the Demons an early 3-0 lead.

Fairleigh Dickinson did cut the lead to 3-2 in the top half of the second when Ana Hayes connected on her first home run of the season. Hayes put one over the fence in left-center with Kellie Natham aboard for her first homer as a collegiate.

After the Demons made is 4-2 in the bottom of the second, the Knights got back within one when Reanna Cervantes drove in Summer Mendoza with a two-out single through the left side. It was Cervantes second RBI of the season.
 
A three-run bottom of the third made it 7-3 for Northwestern State. The Demons would tack on runs in the fourth and fifth before scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth to earn the run-rule win.

Madison Emerson (0-2) started for the Knights and lasted two innings while allowing seven earned runs. Baylee Ports and Cheryl Lopez both pitched in relief for Fairleigh Dickinson.  
 
Game 2 – Fairleigh Dickinson 8 (1-6), Chattanooga 7 (3-7) – F/8
 
Both Fairleigh Dickinson and Chattanooga scored in three different innings, but the Knights got the key hit in extra innings to get their first win of the 2017 season in extra innings.
 
For the second straight game, Fairleigh Dickinson's opposition scored three runs in the first inning as Chattanooga scored one on a single and two on a Fairleigh Dickinson error.

The Knights' bats then warmed up in the top of the third inning. Six runs scored on six hits for Fairleigh Dickinson as the scoreboard turned to 6-3 for the Knights. Madison Emerson knocked in the first two runs with a double to right-center. Ana Hayes extended her RBI streak to three games with a two-run single to center, which plated Reanna Cervantes and Emerson.

Cheryl Lopez kept the inning going by knocking in her second run of the season when she singled to left field that allowed Kellie Natham to score. Jaymee Jackson drove in the sixth and final run of the inning on a single to right center that scored Hayes.
 
The Mocs wasted no time in tying the score at six in the bottom half of the inning. A solo home run to lead off the frame and a two-run shot three batters later got the score back level.

Both teams would score one run in their respective halves of the fourth inning.

Through the next three innings, the teams combined for only one hit. Erica Johnson, who started for the Knights, found a rhythm in the later innings. The freshman did not surrender a hit in innings five through seven. The only baserunner allowed by Johnson was a walk with two outs in the seventh that was left aboard.

The new extra-inning rule of putting a runner at second base came into effect as the Knights placed Cervantes at second to start the frame and she quickly moved over to third on a wild pitch. Natham then knocked in her sophomore classmate with her team-leading seventh RBI of the game that proved to be the difference.

Johnson had to deal with the same runner at second to start the bottom of the eighth. Chattanooga sacrificed the runner over to third. Johnson then got the second out of the inning on a pop up to third. A two-out walk put the game-winning run aboard. That runner stole second before Johnson got the final out on a grounder to second.
 
The freshman pitcher picked up her first win of her career and the Knights season as she went the full eight innings while allowing four earned runs on seven hits and striking out four.

The games against UT Martin and Saint Louis will start at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. respectively tomorrow.