NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Fairleigh Dickinson softball (8-12, 2-1 NEC) toppled Central Connecticut (1-20, 1-2 NEC) Sunday at CCSU Softball Field 3-1 as the Knights captured their first series victory of the 2022 Northeast Conference slate having finished victorious in two of the three games this weekend.

With the Knights' leadoff batter walking in junior Cassidy Triska, FDU did not wait long to have a runner on and a chance to hammer home a crucial series win on the road, though the chances would fade for Triska with the next two batters failing to reach or make any moves on the basepath. The spark would reignite for Chris Foye's squad as freshman Andreya Flores would double to left moving Triska to third and giving fellow rookie Sabrina Javorsky two Knights in scoring position with three runs at stake early on, though nothing would come of the two-out rally as the game went on to the home half of the opening inning.

FDU sent senior Alayna Savaglio to the circle for her second start of the three-game set. Savaglio's outing would begin with a walk to the Blue Devils' leadoff batter, though unlike the Knights, CCSU was able to successfully implement situational hitting beginning with a sacrifice bunt to move Meghan Gorman into scoring position at second base. Senior third baseman Jillian Ward saw the textbook play from a mile away and move in to prevent what could have possibly been a run and then some early on. With an RBI single to follow in the next at-bat, the home side would take the early 1-0 lead, the first time this series either team would score in the first inning.

The Knights had some chances in the second as junior Savannah Thornell made the trip to first after being hit by a pitch. Thornell currently sits 13th in Division I in hit by pitches per game with the Burgundy and Blue first baseman being plunked six times in 16 games played as of the previous NCAA report, a mark of .380 HBP per game. Returning for her second frame of work, Savaglio retired the side in the order setting up a pivotal third inning for the FDU offense to take the lead of the ballgame.

Freshman Payton Wagner walked with one out two-time NEC Rookie of the Week and one-time Player of the Week Jess DeWitt a runner on and a chance to do some big - and she did. The San Diego, Calif. product blasted her third-career round-tripper - and second of the series - to score her roommate Wagner and give her team the 2-1 advantage.
 
DeWitt's homer would be enough for the Blue Devils to head to their bullpen with the CCSU starter throwing just 2.1 innings of work on the afternoon.

In the fourth inning, FDU would follow-up the scoring beginning with a single up the middle infield by Savaglio who's bat has heated up as of late. Savaglio would be run for by freshman Brandi Mitchell who would move to third base following two wild pitches by the Central Connecticut reliever. With Courtney Mahoney at the plate, the senior center fielder from Allenwood, N.J. would earn an RBI after hitting into a fielder's choice and scoring Mitchell which would end the scoring affair the rest of the way. In the bottom half of the inning, CCSU would go down in order as the Knights inched closer to the team's second win in three games and second-consecutive victory on the road.

Each team had several chances to do further damage the rest of the way though efforts on both sides would come up short as FDU would hold on for the 3-1 victory.

Savaglio earned her third win in her 10th appearance of the season. The left-hander from Middletown, N.Y. finished with a line of 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB and 7 SO. The Minisink Valley faced 24 batters in the contest.

Following the game, Foye commented in an interview that it was a "Great win today taking the series two-out-of-three against Central coming back after a day off yesterday." He continued, "We're looking forward to a non-conference doubleheader next week at Lafayette and heading up to Merrimack for an NEC series next weekend."

As mentioned, the Burgundy and Blue return to action on Wednesday, March 23, at 3 p.m. as the team heads to Easton, Pa. for a doubleheader against Lafayette in non-conference play with first pitch of the nightcap scheduled for 5 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both contests from Lafayette Softball Field will air live on ESPN+. FDU stays on the road later in the week for a three-game set at Merrimack with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and a single game the following day at 12 p.m. to wrap-up the second weekend of league action.
 

Inside Stats

- Javorksy came just one putout shy of tying her personal - and the team's best - mark of the season of 10 putouts as she finished with nine as the Knights' catcher Sunday.
- DeWitt stays the FDU home run leader with her third blast coming in the series finale. She has hit a home run in each of the team's last two games.
- The Knights now enjoy a two-game win streak over the Blue Devils after dropping the previous five games against Central Connecticut dating back to 4/2/21.
- Savaglio set a new personal season-high in single game hits with two coming in three at-bats this afternoon.

Fans can stay connected with the Knights on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsSB.