HACKENSACK, N.J. - The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team picked up a two-game sweep over Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon at the FDU Softball Field by scores of 5-0 and 5-3. The wins move the Knights to 12-19 on the season, including 4-2 in NEC play.
FDU returns to action on Tuesday when they head to Pennsylvania for an afternoon doubleheader against Villanova.
Game One: Fairleigh Dickinson 5, Mount St. Mary's 0
Starting pitcher Baylee Ports was dynamic in the circle for FDU all afternoon, picking up her fifth win of the season in game one before adding her first save of the year in game two.
Ports struck out seven and scattered just three hits in her start in game one to give the Knights the edge over the Mountaineers.
The Knights bats did not waste time getting in on the action either putting up three runs on three hits in the first inning to take an early lead. Madison Emerson got the party started with an RBI double before Holly Mercier and Reanna Cervantes added to the lead. Mercier smacked a hard-hit ball to shortstop to score a run before being thrown out at second, while Cervantes managed to drive in the third run on a groundout to short.
Ports retired nine of the next ten batters faced to keep Mount off the board before the Knights added insurance runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings to push the lead to 5-0. A Logan Kolehmainen single to right in the bottom of the fourth put the fifth and final run across the plate for FDU as Ports cruised to the victory.
Kolehmainen led the Knights offensively, going 2-2 at the plate with an RBI, one of five different players from FDU to drive in a run.
Game Two: Fairleigh Dickinson 5, Mount St. Mary's 3
The Mountaineers' bats woke up in game two, connecting for nine hits. However, the FDU offense provided the answer in the form of a huge outing of its own, smacking 11 hits for five runs as starter Erica Johnson and Ports combined to help FDU earn the sweep.
The Knights found themselves in a hole early after a two-run top of the first from Mount, however, they wasted no time in starting the comeback. Cervantes recouped one run in the bottom of the first after a single to center drove in Kolehmainen to cut the Mount lead in half.
The Mountaineers restored the two-run lead on an RBI single in the top of the third but yet again, FDU managed to come up with a quick response as Serena Meehan doubled to left to drive in Mercier and cut the lead down to one.
A scoreless fourth set up a huge bottom of the fifth for the Knights, who took advantage of the opportunity and blew the game open with a three-run explosion. Cervantes and Meehan drilled back-to-back RBI singles to put FDU ahead 4-3 before some solid plate discipline from Abby England managed to draw a bases-loaded walk and give the Knights the insurance run.
Ports entered the game in the sixth and shut Mount down over the final two frames, earning her first save of the season and setting up Johnson for her third win.
Cervantes went 2-3 with a pair of RBIs at the plate for FDU.
