DELAND, Fla. - FDU softball opened their 23rd season 2-0 Friday as the Knights toppled Dayton in the season opener 2-0, followed by a 2-1 win in extra innings over Stetson, the host of the three-day Frank Griffin Classic.
 

Dayton Recap

Chris Foye, now in his sixth season as the Knights' head coach, turned to fifth-year arm Alayna Savaglio in the season lid lifter and the Middletown, N.Y. came out firing on all cylinders going three-up, three-down in the first frame of 2023 against the Flyers. Allowing just one hit in the first three innings, Savaglio would get some run support from her teammates as the Burgundy and Blue etched a two-run spot in the second frame as junior Megan Berg and graduate student Courtney Mahoney walked with the bases loaded to score senior Haley Ramberg and sophomore Angela Costa. Allowing just two more hits the rest of the way, Savaglio (1-0) would be relieved a third of the way through the sixth inning as Foye called into the bullpen and brought on sophomore Julia Swan in the save situation and she closed the book on Dayton in 1.2 innings of work, striking out three of five batters faced without allowing a hit.

Defense was critical in the low-scoring affair with two highlight reel grabs, including a monstrous play from Berg who made the start in right field when she connected with Costa at third base for the punch out as Dayton's Molly Grace tried to take third. Later in the game, sophomore Isabella Herring leaped over the left field fence to rob Alyssa Cacini of a round-tripper with one on to protect the two-run lead in the sixth.
 

Stetson Recap

Following-up the game one performance, Foye turned to the same lineup with the only changes being Ramberg moving from the designated player slot to behind the plate, moving sophomore Andreya Flores from catcher to the DP role. Malori Bell made her first start of the season as the senior from Keansburg, N.J. worked six full innings, though she wasn't eligible for a decision in the eight-inning affair. Bell walked four while striking out three without allowing a run in her first outing of the year. Heads-up base running gave FDU a 1-0 lead in the second as Herring grounded out to third scoring sophomore Brandi Mitchell with one out. A pair of singles by Ramberg and Thornell created the opportunity with Ramberg advancing to second on her fellow senior's hit before being pinch run for by Mitchell. The home Hatters wouldn't answer back until last licks in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single up the middle by Brianna Clay to score Haley Fox.

Herring would continue her dazzling performance to win it for the Knights, reaching base safely on an error by the Stetson catcher to score freshman Kendalyn Macias who entered the game as a pinch runner in the top of the eighth to put FDU up 2-1. Getting a little help for the first out, the international tiebreaker runner placed on second base to begin the frame was called out for leaving early, erasing a player in scoring position to begin the inning leaving just two outs for Swan who picked up the win in relief of sophomore Payton Wagner. The Whippany, N.J. product Swan struck out two, including the second-to-last batter before inducing a ground ball to senior Cassidy Triska who completed the out and move FDU to 2-0 for the first time since 2013.
 

Quotable

"Today was a great day for our team," said Foye. "Our pitching was phenomenal. They gutted it out in the heat only giving up one run in 15 innings. The energy in the dugout was probably the best I have seen in my five years here at FDU and our team definitely fed off of that. Defensively we made some great plays to get us out of some tough spots. I am very proud of our team for playing hard and competing today for our first time out this spring. We will be looking to build off of a great day and finish the weekend strong."
 

What's Next

FDU faces Dayton for the second time in the Frank Griffin Classic at 9:30 a.m., followed by the first of two games this weekend against BIG EAST member Providence at 12 p.m. Both games will air on HatterVision via YouTube.

Connect with FDU softball on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsSB.