JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Fairleigh Dickinson softball team struggled to catch Monmouth Sunday in the Knights' final game of the 2022 UNF-JU Spring Break Challenge as the side fell 6-5 to split the weekend series with the Hawks. FDU moved to 4-11 on the season following the loss.

Sending junior right-hander Malori Bell to the circle to start the early-morning matchup in the Sunshine State, the Knights allowed a four-spot in the top half of the first inning, quickly turning to freshman Julia Swan to come on in relief 6.2 innings of work. FDU's bats woke up in the home portion of the opening frame as the team chipped away at the early deficit, beginning with rookie Andreya Flores' RBI single to score senior Courtney Mahoney and push fellow freshman Jess DeWitt to third. In the next at-bat, senior Jillian Ward hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing DeWitt to score and make it a two-run ballgame.

In the bottom of the second, FDU would tack-on another with junior Cassidy Triska singling through the left side of the infield, scoring sophomore Megan Berg to bring Chris Foye's Knights within a run of the Hawks. Moving to the following inning, Monmouth would score to go up two on the Burgundy and Blue, the final score for three innings before the scoring affair picked-up again in the sixth. With a throwing error on the Knights' second baseman scoring the final Hawks' run of the game in the second-to-last frame, it all came down to the bottom of the seventh inning when DeWitt sparked a rally with a sacrifice to straight-away center, scoring Triska and pushing Mahoney to the corner at third base.

FDU's final run of the game would come on a fielder's choice hit by freshman Sabrina Javorsky to short, scoring Mahoney who's second run scored makes her the fourth Knight to score at least two runs in a single game this season.

 "I love the fight in this team," exclaimed Foye. "We battled back from an early four-run deficit to have the tying and go-ahead runs on in the last inning. It was definitely another tough one-run loss but we keep getting better every game and I believe these tight games will start going our way soon."

Foye and the Knights have an eight-day layoff after returning from Florida before the side heads to the Jersey Shore to face Monmouth yet again for a doubleheader in West Long Branch, N.J. on Tuesday, March 15, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 12 p.m. Following the two-game series, the Burgundy and Blue will turn their attention to the start of Northeast Conference play beginning with a three-game series in New Britain, Conn. at Central Connecticut.