NORFOLK, Va. – The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team battled from behind and junior
Rylie Schmeh drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in a 6-5 victory over Delaware State in eight innings on Sunday.
The Knights (3-7) ended their five-game trip to Virginia with the extra-inning, come-from-behind victory and avenged a close loss to the Hornets (2-15) from the previous day. Sophomore
Alayna Savaglio earned the victory, her first as a Knight, by pitching the final three innings and striking out eight of the nine batters she faced, including all three batters in the bottom of the eighth with a runner placed on second.
Schmeh finished the day 2-for-3, driving in FDU's first run of the game with a RBI triple to right field, extending her FDU all-time record to seven in her career. She later drove home the winning run on a sacrifice fly to center that plated sophomore
Samantha Cortez to put the Knights ahead 6-5.
Senior
Madison Emerson collected three hits in her four trips to the plate, scoring two of FDU's runs and driving in another on a RBI single. Freshman
Hailey Ramberg smashed her second home run of the weekend, driving in three runs on her blast to right center. As a team, the Knights lashed out 10 hits to Delaware State's five in the game.
The Hornets struck first in the second inning with a solo home run by Caitlin Meyer, but the Knights responded in the fourth, with Emerson hitting a single up the middle to start the half inning that led up to Schmeh's two-out triple to the right field fence.
Delaware State again took the lead on a three-run home run by Jade King, going up 4-1 after four innings. FDU countered quickly in the next half inning, with senior
Summer Mendoza and junior
Logan Kolehmainen starting another FDU rally with base hits to lead off the frame. Emerson then laced a line-drive single to right center that scored Mendoza, and Ramberg completed the rally with a big three-run home run to right that gave the Knights a 5-4 advantage.
The Hornets managed to tie the game again in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring on an error after a double by Jasmine Melgoza. Savaglio then relieved starter
Abby England, who struck out five Hornets in five innings of work, and the sophomore lefty struck out each of the first four hitters followed by the last four she faced, with a bunt being the only ball put in play against Savaglio.
The Knights almost earned the winning run in the seventh inning, with freshman
Cassidy Triska and Emerson each hitting singles to put runners on the corners with two outs. The next batter, however, flied out to end the potential rally, and a sacrifice bunt by freshman
Jalyse Hanson helped set Schmeh up to drive home the winning run in the following inning.
FDU travels again next weekend to play in the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic hosted at top-25 ranked Texas Tech, taking on the Red Raiders along with Marist and Delaware State beginning Friday, March 6, with a 1:30 p.m. (CT) game against Marist.
Fairfield Inn & Suites is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 softball season.
