HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team hosts its final two doubleheaders of the 2019 season this weekend, taking on Northeast Conference rivals Saint Francis U and Robert Morris this Saturday and Sunday.
 
The Knights first play host to the Red Flash of SFU on Saturday starting at noon. FDU then concludes the regular season the following day against RMU beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Knights will also be holding Senior Day festivities before the start of Saturday's doubleheader against the Red Flash.
 
A live stream for each of the day's games will be available to view for free on NEC Front Row, and live stats will also be provided at fduknights.com.
 
ENTERING THE WEEKEND
The Knights (14-33, 4-8 NEC) split their lone doubleheader last weekend at Wagner, taking the first game 4-2 before suffering a 7-4 loss in the nightcap. Senior Baylee Ports earned the complete game victory in the Knights' win while also recording her 200th strikeout of her career. Senior Holly Mercier finished the day with three hits and two runs scored, and freshmen Riley De Laval and Courtney Mahoney each also tallied three hits with a RBI. Sophomore Logan Kolehmainen and freshman Amarys Miller-Godsey each recorded two RBI to lead the Knights as well.
 
SEASON LEADERS
Junior Madison Emerson is leading the Knights this season with a .326 batting average and a .396 on-base percentage in 31 games this season. Senior Reanna Cervantes leads the team with 37 hits, eight doubles, four home runs and 15 RBI, and Miller-Godsey has also accumulated 15 RBI this season. Mercier leads the team with 17 runs scored, while senior Serena Meehan has totaled six stolen bases to lead the Knights. In the circle, Ports and sophomore Abby England each are sporting a 3.34 ERA this season. Ports has six wins and nine complete games and has totaled 84 strikeouts in 115.1 innings pitched in 23 appearances.
 
NEC RANKS
The Knights are second in the NEC this season in fielding percentage (.969), trailing only first-place LIU Brooklyn (.972). FDU pitchers have also compiled the fourth-best ERA in the league (3.87) this season and are second among NEC teams with 217 strikeouts this season. Individually, Ports and England are tied for seventh in the league in ERA and junior Erica Johnson is right behind her teammates with a 3.63 ERA this season. Ports' 84 strikeouts this year are the third-most among NEC pitchers.
 
MERCIER FILE
Mercier is one of four Knight seniors that will be honored on Senior Day this Saturday. A four-year starter for the Knights, Mercier has played in 168 games, tied with her fellow senior teammate Reanna Cervantes and three other Knights for the fourth most in program history. She is also sixth in program history with 18 career stolen bases. In her career, Mercier has totaled 90 hits, 55 runs scored, 10 doubles and 30 RBI in 426 at-bats.
 
MEEHAN FILE
Meehan is a second Knight senior that will be honored on Senior Day this Saturday. A three-year starter at third base, Meehan has totaled 169 putouts and 189 assists, good for ninth in FDU history. Meehan earlier this season compiled an 11-game hitting streak and is second on the team this season with 32 hits  and 15 runs scored, recording the 100th hit of her career on a bunt single at Rider on April 17. In her career, Meehan has compiled 102 hits, 44 runs scored, seven doubles, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 141 games.
 
PORTS REPORT
Ports is a third Knight senior that will be recognized on Senior Day, and has been the ace of the Knights' pitching staff in her past two seasons. She has already set career-highs this season in innings pitched, strikeouts and games started, and she has matched her totals in complete games (nine) and shutouts (two) from last season. She became the fifth Knight pitcher in program history with at least 200 strikeouts by striking out seven batters at Wagner on Saturday. She also ranks in the top 10 in program history in appearances (third – 92), shutouts (tied for third – 4), saves (fifth – 3), wins (sixth – 16), innings pitched (sixth – 323.1), starts (10th – 48) and complete games (tied for 10th – 19).
 
CERVANTES REPORT
Cervantes is the fourth senior that will be recognized on Senior Day, and she will conclude her career as one of the best hitters in program history. She this season surpassed 150 career hits and is one home run away from becoming the second Knight ever with at least 20 in a career. She is also on pace to finish with the best career slugging percentage, .531, in FDU history. In 168 games, Cervantes has a .318 career batting average (third among players with at least 200 at-bats), and she has totaled 157 hits (third), 69 runs scored (fourth), 85 RBI (second), 38 doubles (second) five triples (second to teammate Rylie Schmeh, 6), 19 home runs (second), 262 total bases (second) and a .362 on-base percentage (sixth) in 493 at-bats (fourth).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Entering this weekend's games, FDU is 15-21 against SFU and 11-26 against RMU all-time. The Red Flash have swept the doubleheader between the teams in each of the past three seasons, but the Knights had won 10 of the previous 12 games from 2010-15. The Knights snapped a five-game losing streak to Robert Morris by sweeping last season's doubleheader, 9-3 and 11-0. The Knights benefited from a seven-run second inning in the first game, and they scored all 11 runs of the second game in the first four innings as Johnson limited the Colonials to just two hits in five innings.
 
SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS U
The Red Flash (24-28, 8-6 NEC) enter the weekend in fourth place in the NEC standings, needing a win to help secure a playoff berth. The Red Flash won three of four games last weekend, sweeping Bucknell in two one-run games before splitting with LIU Brooklyn on Sunday. Hayley Norton leads the Red Flash with a .378 average and is the NEC leader in home runs (15) and RBI (58) this season, while Mekenzie Saban is the NEC leader in hits (70), runs scored (56) and doubles (20), helping the Red Flash lead the conference in all three categories along with home runs (60) and triples (15). Red Flash pitchers, however, have compiled a 5.72 team ERA this season, led by Christina Clark with a 5.05 ERA in 149.2 innings pitched over 37 appearances. Clark is 11-9 this season and has a team-high 71 strikeouts as well, while Mikayla Bower is second on the team with 42 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched.
 
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
The Colonials (14-35, 5-7 NEC) had lost eight straight games before ending the skid Sunday with a 7-4 win over Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. The Colonials host Sacred Heart at home on Saturday before traveling to Hackensack to play the Knights the following day, and are still in the mix for a NEC Tournament spot if they win at least three of four games. Abriel McCartney is hitting .331 this season and leads the team with 28 runs scored, 12 doubles and 23 RBI. Natalie Higgins and Taryn Miller have each hit a team-high seven home runs. In the circle, Dana Vatakis is 9-14 in 29 appearances with a 4.06 ERA in 131 innings pitched to go with 52 strikeouts, all of which leads the team. Laura Coulter has totaled 47 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched while sporting a 5.11 ERA as well.