BROOKLYN, N.Y. – FDU softball (24-25, 13-8) dropped their opening match-up of the 2025 NEC Championships to Saint Francis (24-24, 14-7) by a score of 10-2 on Thursday afternoon.

The Knights fell in an early hole, as Saint Francis jumped on FDU starter Brooklyn Shroyer. The Red Flash plated two runs in the first, and scored another two off of Shroyer in the second. The Knights' ace was unable to make it through the second inning, as head coach Chris Foye brought in Julia Swan out of the bullpen. Swan allowed three more runs to score in the second, and FDU quickly found themselves down 7-0.

The Knights began to rally in the fifth. Mikayla Conklin got FDU on the board with a big RBI triple. Conklin then came around to score on a sac fly by Brianna Holguin. The Knights trailed 7-2 heading into the bottom half of the fifth. 

Saint Francis woke the offense back up in the fifth frame, plating three more runs to go ahead 10-2. Hannah Bendle put the final touch on the game, hitting an RBI single to enforce the run rule, and giving Saint Francis the win.

With the loss, FDU drops down to the loser's bracket in the tournament. They will face off against #1 LIU in an elimination game.

WHAT'S NEXT

Due to weather, the NEC has shifted the tournament schedule back one day. The Knights and Sharks will now face off on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Coverage will be available on NEC Front Row and ESPN+.