CLERMONT, Fla. -- The 2018 season started with a pair of setbacks for the Fairleigh Dickinson softball team to Liberty and Toledo on Friday. 

Game 1 -- Liberty 6, Fairleigh Dickinson 0
The Flames took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Tori Zavodny tripled with one away and then came around to score on a double steal with Amber Bishop two batters later. 

Baylee Ports got the start for Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) and limited the Flames to one hit over the first two frames. However, the Liberty offense clicked in the third and pushed five runs across. 

Autumn Bishop led off with a single and then advanced two bases on an error. After a fly out, Amber reached on an error, which allowed Autumn to score and make it 2-0. A double, a single, a double steal and a triple supplied the other three runs for the Flames to make it 6-0. 

Summer Mendoza got the Knights lone hit off of Julia DiMartino. That came in the second inning. DiMartino struck out 10 in the complete game shutout. 

Ports went five innings for the Knights. The junior allowed four earned runs and walked one. Freshman, Abbey England went the final two and faced the minimum six batters. 

Sarah Robertson had two RBI for Liberty. 


Game 2 – Toledo 1, Fairleigh Dickinson 0
Erica Johnson allowed one run over six innings, but the Knights' offense was held off the scoreboard by Kailey Minarchick of Toledo in game two of the day for Fairleigh Dickinson. 

The lone run of the game came from a single from Bekah Yenrick down the left field line in the third inning. Samantha Showalter scored for the Rockets. 

Johnson allowed just the one run and five hits while striking out five in six innings. Minarchick struck out four and allowed only one hit—a double to Madison Emerson in the fourth—to get the win. 

The Knights return to action tomorrow for a pair of contests. First at 4 p.m. is a game against UT Chattanooga. Right after that one, the Knights play Detroit Mercy at 6:30.