Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College softball team split a two-game doubleheader with Northeast Conference (NEC) opponent Fairleigh Dickinson today, taking the first game 1-0, before dropping the nightcap 3-0.
After sophomore pitcher Judy Betz (Ashburn, VA) retired the first three Knight batters in the top of the first, senior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY) got the Seahawks offense started, belting a solo shot over the centerfield fence. The two-out blast was Olsen's second home run of the season and staked the Seahawks to an early 1-0 lead.
The first inning home run was the last hit either team would muster until the bottom of the fourth when Olsen drove a single down the left field line to record her fifth multi-hit game of the season.
Betz had her no-hitter broken up in top half of the fifth inning on a two-out single by Maire Shaughnessy which gave the Knights just their second base runner of the game. Betz got Elizabeth Woidt to line out to third base though to end the threat and keep the Seahawks in the lead.
Betz got into a jam in the top of the seventh as Marikka Benson led off the inning reaching on a Seahawk infield error and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Berkleigh Massey. A single by Caitlin Bradac and an errant pitch by Betz that thumped Maria Roney, loaded the bases for the Knights with just one out. With the lead in jeopardy, the second-year righty fought back in getting the next two batters to ground out to end the inning and seal the 1-0 victory.
The win capped off Betz's 12th complete game of the year and second shutout victory in as many games. Betz held the Knights to just two hits in the day's opener while striking out three as the Seahawks improved to 4-7 in conference action.
Shaughnessy was credited with her sixth loss of the year for the Knights who dropped to 5-8 in NEC play with the game one defeat.
Wagner head coach Glen Payne elected to stick with Betz for game two against FDU's Caitlin Bradac who was making her 14th start of the year for the Knights.
Two Wagner errors in the top of the first inning gave the Knights the game's first base runners, but Betz was able to strand them both after setting down Bradac and Roney to end the top half.
Wagner's first real scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the third inning when back-to-back singles by Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV) and Carley Nicoletti (Plainville, NY) helped load the bases with just one out. Bradac worked her way out of the jam one batter later, keeping the game scoreless halfway through.
Errors would again plague the Seahawks' defense, costing them two runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth, as the Knights put up the game's first tallies on four hits and two errors heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Bradac didn't give the Green and White any room to get back into the game, as she allowed just one hit by Ashley Rollins (Fairfax, VA) in the final two innings to wrap up the 3-0 FDU win.
The Knights' triumph helped Bradac earn her team-high 10th win of the season, as FDU moved to 6-8 in the conference, while the loss moved Wagner to 4-8.
The Green and White will host the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State tomorrow in a re-scheduled NEC doubleheader at Wagner Field. Game one is slated for a 2:00 pm start.
