SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team fell in extra innings to Cardinal Invitational host University of the Incarnate Word on Friday night by a score of 3-2 in nine innings.
 
The Knights (1-1) tied the game after going down a run to start, and sophomore Alayna Savaglio then battled her way through a pitcher's duel for five more innings to force extra innings. The sophomore threw over 170 pitches in the outing, recording 10 strikeouts in her FDU debut while allowing seven hits and five walks.
 
FDU scored another run in the eighth inning to take the lead, but the Cardinals (3-4) pushed across runs in each frame of the extra innings, ultimately scoring the winning run in the ninth.
 
Sophomore Samantha Cortez and freshman Cassidy Triska each went 2-for-4 to pace the Knights hitting attack, with Cortez notching a double, a RBI and a run scored. Triska and freshman Hailey Ramberg each collected their first collegiate hits in the loss, and senior Madison Emerson also singled for her first hit of the season.
 
The Cardinals scored the first run of the game with a RBI single by Renee Hoffman in the first inning. Freshman Jalyse Hanson then tied the game for the Knights with a RBI single of her own after Cortez roped a double to lead off the second inning. Triska then singled to continue the inning, but the Knights were then retired in order to end the threat.
 
Savaglio struck out two batters in the second inning to help keep the game tied at 1-1, and she also worked out of a jam with runners on first and second in the third inning by striking out a batter and inducing a groundball out to end the frame.
 
Triksa again reached base in the fourth with a single and stole second to set up a chance for the Knights, but the Cardinals pitched out of the jam, and Savaglio did the same in the bottom half of the inning with two more strikeouts.
 
Both pitchers continued to keep the offenses off the board into the seventh inning. The Knights looked to mount a rally in the top half of the seventh with two outs, as Ramberg knocked a single through the left side and sophomore Riley De Laval reached on an error to extend the inning.
 
The Cardinals, however, got the final out of the inning, and Hoffman led off the Cardinal half of the seventh with a double. After a bunt moved Hoffman to third, Savaglio recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame and move the game to extra innings.
 
With Emerson placed on second to begin the eighth, Cortez lined a hard single into left to score her teammate and give the Knights a 2-1 lead. The lead did not last long though as the Cardinals tied the game again with a RBI single by Savannah Behabetz.
 
FDU was unable to push a run across in the ninth inning, and freshman Lauren Luna made a key defensive play to throw out a Cardinal runner trying to score in the bottom of the frame to keep the game tied at 2-2.
 
Incarnate Word though eventually tallied the winning run, with three straight batters reaching base before scoring on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.
 
The Knights ended the first day of the Cardinal Invitational with 16 total hits, and FDU pitchers recorded 21 strikeouts in two games. FDU continues its season-opening tournament Saturday with games against Cleveland State (12 p.m., CT) and Delaware (6 p.m., CT).