ELON, N.C. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team suffered a pair of setbacks on Friday down at Elon. In game one the Knights led late but Norfolk State came back to win and in game two Elon started fast and did not let Fairleigh Dickinson get back into the game.
Game 1: Norfolk State 7, Fairleigh Dickinson 4 Final/9 Innings
Fairleigh Dickinson (1-10) had the lead heading into the top of the seventh but Norfolk State (6-5) scored two in the seventh to tie the game to send it into extra innings. In the ninth, the Spartans struck for three to get the comeback 7-4 win in game one of the Elon Phoenix Tournament on Friday.
The Spartans tied the game in the seventh on a one-out single from Seana Moriarty to center field. After a fly out, Meaghan Barfield doubled to center to bring in Devon Butler.
Those two runs by Norfolk State answered the Knights' four straight runs to erase a 2-0 deficit. After the Spartans took a 2-0 in the second,
Francine Villalobos tripled to score
Serena Meehan in the bottom half of the frame. Villalobos was brought home when
Cheryl Lopez reached on a fielder's choice to tie the game at two.
Fairleigh Dickinson took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a
Summer Mendoza RBI single.
Holly Mercier scored after reaching on a hit, then advancing on a stolen base and a passed ball. Villalobos knocked in her second run of the afternoon with a double in the sixth that scored
Kellie Natham.
In the ninth, Norfolk State got a single from Barfield that scored Moriarty. The next hitter was Kylee Lopez who hit a two-run home run to left to make it a 7-4 game. Both runs came after
Madison Emerson, who started for the Knights, retired two of the first three hitters of the frame.
The Knights were unable to tie the game in the bottom half as they went down in order.
Emerson (0-4) went 8 2/3 innings; allowing seven earned runs and struck out one.
Erica Johnson got the final out of the ninth for the Knights.
Megan Przeslawski (2-3) got the win for the Spartans after throwing a complete game.
Game 2: Elon 5, Fairleigh Dickinson 1
Elon (11-8) started fast in the bottom of the first inning. The first four batters in the Phoenix order all reached base. The fourth, Carey Million knocked in two runs with a single. With runners on second and third, Erica Serafini brought in the third run on a sac fly that was a foul out first. The final run of the inning scored on a double steal with runners at the corners.
Fairleigh Dickinson was held scoreless in the first three innings and in the bottom of the third Elon added a fifth run on another Million RBI single. This one was to center.
Reanna Cervantes led off the fourth with a double and moved over to third on a sacrifice from
Madison Emerson. The next batter was
Kellie Natham and she drove in Cervantes with a double to left center.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth. Elon then added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. A fielder's choice and a one-out walk put two runners on for Elon. A bunt single from Hannah Olsen loaded the bases for the Phoenix. A walk to the next batter forced in a run. A single from Kara Shutt brought in a run and sacrifice fly by Million plated the third run.
Erica Johnson (1-4) started for the Knights and took the loss after allowing four runs over two innings on five hits. The freshman struck out three. Classmate,
Irene Herrera, went the remaining four innings and allowed three runs.
Kiandra Mitchum (5-4) went the distance for Elon. Mitchum struck out 11 while allowing the one run.
The Knights return to the diamond tomorrow morning for a 10 a.m. start against Presbyterian. Right after that game, the Knights take on Norfolk State again.
