CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The FDU-Florham softball team was unable to pull out a victory in a doubleheader sweep against DeSales University on Saturday afternoon in Freedom Conference action.
The Devils (6-12, 4-4 Freedom) came up short in game one 6-5 before DeSales' (7-7, 5-1 Freedom)
Andrea Artesani baffled FDU-Florham and tossed a five-inning no-hitter.
Sophomore
Paige Lillie (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and junior
Nikki Caruso (Madison, N.J.) each recorded three-hit games in the opener but the Devils came up short.
Each team netted a run in the opening frame, before the Devils went in front 2-1 in the top of the second.
Jaclyn Herrington (Huntington, N.Y.) singled and following a fielder's choice,
Christina Legotti (Plainview, N.Y.) singled down the right field line. Next, FDU-Florham leadoff hitter
Marlena Bevilacqua (East Brunswick, N.J.) plated the run by sneaking a single through the left side of the infield.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the home half of the third with a run-scoring single. After a scoreless fourth inning, both teams found the offense in the fifth.
With two outs, the Devils rallied to scratch across two runs. Lillie doubled and then scored on a Caruso knock. Junior catcher
Wynne McCann (Boyertown, Pa.) then plated Caruso with a single and the Devils held a 4-2 lead.
However, the Bulldogs countered in the home half of the frame with three runs on three hits, including a two-run single by junior
Samantha Gibson. DeSales tacked on one more in the sixth and held on for the one-run victory.
Sydney Worek (Bordentown, N.J.) took the loss for the Devils, tossing six innings, allowing six runs and striking out three, while DeSales'
DJ McCauley picked up the win.
In game two, the Devils were unable to figure out freshman starter
Andrrea Artesani. Artesani allowed just two base runners in her first career no-hitter. The first-year right-hander struck out four in the five-inning victory.
The Bulldogs netted three runs in the first before walking off in the fifth with five tallies to secure the win. McCauley chipped in a 3-for-3 game with three RBI and two runs scored to lead DeSales in the game.
FDU-Florham returns to action tomorrow, April 12 when they head to Dallas, Pa. to take on Misericordia University in a conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
