FAIRFAX, VA. – FDU softball (1-7, 0-0) continued their non-conference stretch by participating in the George Mason Tournament this weekend. The Knights went 1-2 in the tournament, picking up their first win of the season.
The Knights opened up the tournament with a match-up against George Mason on Friday night. FDU sent freshman left-hander
Katie Simonka out onto the mound to start the weekend off. Simonka pitched well to open up the game, throwing a scoreless first two innings. The rookie ran into some trouble in the third inning, as the Patriots' bats started to wake up. George Mason tagged Simonka for seven runs in the third, building themselves a sizable lead. On the flipside, FDU's offense was unable to get any work done against Patriots' starter Alyssa Rangel. Rangel pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out seven Knights in the process.
Sierra Albright entered the game in relief for the Knights, and pitched a solid 2.2 innings, allowing just three hits. Unfortunately for FDU, Albright gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth, ending the game on a mercy rule.
FDU continued the tournament on Saturday morning against Hofstra. Head coach
Chris Foye sent sophomore
Jamie Sencion out on the bump, as she looked to follow up her solid outing in the season opener against Boise State. Sencion kept the Knights in the game through the early stages, as the Knights trailed 1-0 into the fifth inning. Hofstra tacked on two more runs in the fifth, and then broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning, chasing Sencion from the game. FDU got on the board in the bottom of the sixth behind an RBI double from
Celeste Quezada, and started a small rally in the bottom of the seventh, plating two more runs. It ultimately proved too little, too late, as the Knights fell 9-3.
The Knights wrapped up the tournament with an afternoon clash against George Mason on Saturday. FDU sent
MaryJane Limon out on the mound for her first start of the season. The Knights jumped on the board first against the Patriots, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a
Dimitra Milonopoulos single. FDU padded the lead with a
Celeste Quezada RBI double in the fourth inning. Limon's lone blemish in the circle came in the fourth, when she gave up an RBI single. Outside of that, the junior was lights out. Limon finished with a complete-game effort, allowing just five hits, and the one run in the fourth inning. The Knights would add some insurance runs on late RBI singles from
Ayden Stone and
Brianna Holguin. FDU would wind up walking away with a 4-1 victory.
FDU gets some time off, before participating in the Spartan Round Up hosted by Norfolk State. That tournament will get underway on Friday, March 6.
