NORFOLK, Va. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team engaged in a pitcher's duel in game one and then mounted a six-run rally in the late game but suffered two losses at Norfolk State on Friday, 2-1 and 13-6.
The Knights (2-5) led 1-0 in the first game with junior
Abby England twirling a shutout through five innings until the Spartans (4-6) hit a two-run home run to start the bottom of the sixth. Norfolk State then scored the first seven runs of the later game before FDU charged back with six runs in the top of the fifth inning, spearheaded by home runs from freshman
Hailey Ramberg and senior
Madison Emerson.
Ramberg launched her three-run shot over the left field fence for her first career home run as a Knight, making it 7-3. Two batters later, Emerson also lined a deep ball over the fence for her first home run as a Knight. FDU then loaded the bases and brought home two more runs on RBI walks by senior
Summer Mendoza and sophomore
Riley De Laval before the Spartans ended the FDU rally.
Across both games, De Laval and freshman
Jalyse Hanson led FDU with three hits apiece, with Hanson collecting all three of her hits in the second game. De Laval also scored two runs, drove in another and hit a double. Emerson finished 2-for-4 in the second game, and Schmeh also joined De Laval by stringing together hits in both games.
England pitched all six innings of her outing, striking out eight batters and allowing just six hits and one walk on 96 pitches. Sophomore
Alayna Savaglio and freshman
Malori Bell each struck out three batters in the second game, with sophomore
Courtney Mahoney also adding a strikeout in one inning of work in relief.
De Laval led off the first game with an infield single, but the Knights were unable to capitalize in the first two innings despite putting four runners on base. De Laval then similary singled to third to start the third inning, later stealing second before scoring on an error to give FDU a 1-0 lead.
Cortez then threw out at second a Norfolk State runner in the bottom of the third that reached on a single, helping England preserve the Knight lead. The Spartans later in the frame put runners on second and third with two outs, but England picked up a big strikeout on a 3-2 slider.
England struck out two more batters in both the fourth and fifth innings to run her total to seven in the game, but the Spartans then hit a home run by Jazzmaine Hammond in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead.
Schmeh singled to right center with one out to start FDU's half of the seventh inning, but the Spartans were able to record the final two outs to hold on for the one-run win.
In game two, De Laval continued her big day at the plate with a leadoff double to left to begin the game, but she was unable to score. Norfolk State, however, jumped on the board with RBI singles by Denisha Megginson and Gabby Vaughn in the bottom of the first to go up 2-0.
The Spartans added two more runs in the second inning and then four more in the fourth to go up 7-0 before FDU started its comeback bid. Mendoza started the rally with a leadoff walk, and freshman
Jagger Datan later doubled to right center for her first career hit to set up Ramberg's blast to make it 7-3.
After Emerson launched her solo home run, Schmeh then singled through the right side of the infield and advanced to second later on a wild pitch. Freshman
Jillian Ward then walked, and Hanson followed with a single to left that loaded the bases for Mendoza, who also walked to bring home Schmeh. De Laval then took four balls to bring Ward home to make it 7-6 before Norfolk State ended the rally on a groundout.
The Spartans then responded, however, with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth and then added more insurance runs on a two-run home run by Brooke Bond in the sixth inning.
FDU continues its Virginia road trip with two games at Hampton tomorrow, playing against Delaware State at 10 a.m., before starting its game against Hampton at 12 p.m.
Fairfield Inn & Suites is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 softball season.
