SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team mounted a tremendous rally late in its game against Delaware but fell just short of the comeback, losing 6-4.
 
The Knights (1-3) trailed by six runs heading into the bottom of the sixth inning before exploding for four runs in their half of the frame, with back-to-back-to back RBI hits by senior Madison Emerson and freshmen Cassidy Triska and Lauren Luna igniting the FDU rally.
 
Sophomore Courtney Mahoney then struck out two batters and retired the Blue Hens (8-1) in the seventh inning without allowing a run to set FDU up for their half of the last inning. Senior Summer Mendoza led off the FDU half of the frame with an infield single, and sophomore Riley De Laval followed with another base hit down the left field line, moving Mendoza to second.
 
Mahoney then laid down a sacrifice bunt to push the potential tying run to second with one out. The Blue Hens, however, induced two infield popups to end the FDU rally and the game.
 
The Knights pounded out 11 hits in the game to Delaware's eight, including seven hits in the final two innings alone. De Laval led FDU with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with a run scored. Emerson and freshman Savannah Thornell each recorded two hits, including a double for Thornell in the second inning.
 
Junior Abby England suffered the loss for FDU, going three innings and striking out four while surrendering three runs on four hits and two walks. Sophomore Alayna Savaglio pitched in relief for two innings and recorded two strikeouts, while Mahoney pitched two scoreless innings of relief with two punchouts as well.
 
The Blue Hens scored the first run of the game in the first inning and then added two more runs in the third to make it 3-0, and they extended their lead further with runs in the fourth and fifth inning as well.
 
Thornell's double in the second inning for FDU was followed by an Emerson single up the middle with no outs, but both Thornell and Emerson were thrown out trying for extra bases to end FDU's potential rally down 1-0.
 
The Knights threatened later with runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth innings, but Delaware pitcher Maddi Marsh was able to pitch out of jams in both frames to keep the Knights off the scoreboard.
 
De Laval then jumpstarted FDU's comeback bid with a leadoff single in the sixth, and after two lineouts, Thornell slapped a base hit up the middle to move De Laval up a base. Emerson then plated De Laval with a base hit to right, and Triska followed with a double into left that drove home Thornell. After a pitching change, Luna then landed a big hit down the line in right, scoring both Emerson and Triska to cut the deficit down to 6-4.
 
The hit and RBIs for Luna were the firsts of her collegiate career, and Triska also collected her first double and RBI as a Knight. For De Laval, she now has a team-high six hits in four games, carrying a .429 average. Thornell in three games now has four hits in eight at-bats and two doubles.
 
The Knights close out the Cardinal Invitational Sunday morning against Grambling State, with first pitch scheduled for 9:30 a.m., CT (10:30 a.m., ET), an hour earlier than previously scheduled.