HACKENSACK, NJ - The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team picked up a 1-1 split with the Central Connecticut Blue Devils Saturday afternoon at the FDU Softball Field, winning game one 2-1 and losing game two 10-0. The win and loss moves the Knights to 9-18 on the season, including a 2-2 mark in NEC play.
The Knights return to action on Tuesday, April 3rd when they head to Riverdale, N.Y. for a double header against the Manhattan Jaspers.
Game One: Fairleigh Dickinson 2, Central Connecticut 1
A slow burner in the first contest against the Blue Devils led to some late game heroics for FDU as Summer Mendoza walked it off in the bottom of the 7th with an RBI single to seal the Knights second conference win of the year in the series opener.
The Knights failed to muster a single hit throughout the first four innings against Blue Devil hurler Emily Sargent. Despite only striking out one batter on the afternoon, Sargent retired 12 of the first 14 batters she faced, a pair of walks the sole blemishes as she and the CCSU defense managed to keep FDU scoreless through four.
Though the Blue Devils got on the board first in the top of the 5th on a sacrifice fly to right field, the lead was short lived as FDU battled back to even things up at 1 in the bottom of the 5th after a Jaymee Jackson RBI single scored Reanna Cervantes to make it 1-1.
A scoreless 6th set up a chance for FDU to win it in the 7th as Amber VanderGoot found herself at the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. The walk-on hit a screamer to short, who threw home to get Cervantes out.
Luckily for FDU, Mendoza only needed one chance, stepping up the next at-bat and smacking a hard hit ball up the middle to score England from third and cap off the FDU victory.
Baylee Ports picked up the win to move to 4-5 on the season.
Game Two: Central Connecticut 10, Fairleigh Dickinson 0
Lex Debrosse's two-run bomb over the left field fence in the top of the first set the tone for CCSU in game two, who shut out the Knights en route to a dominant 10-0 win.
Pitcher Peyton Silverman scattered six hits and struck out four to earn the win in the circle for CCSU.
The Blue Devils added to their lead in the top of the third, doubling up on runs after an RBI triple from Brittany Camara as well as an RBI single from Debrosse put CCSU up 4-0.
Silverman allowed just three baserunners all game up until the 7th inning, while Central Connecticut added runs in the fourth and fifth before blowing things wide open in the top of the 7th with a four-run, five hit rally.
Despite the score the Knights still went down swinging, literally. England singled to right before Rylie Schmeh doubled to put runners in scoring position for FDU in the bottom of the 7th, however the comeback fell short as VanderGoot grounded out to third to end the game.
England received the loss in the circle for FDU, moving her record to 4-5 on the season.
