LEESBURG, Fla. (March 13, 2017) – The FDU softball team fell to No. 7 Messiah and Arcadia during the second day of game action in Florida Monday.
GAME 1: No.7 Messiah 2, FDU 0
Messiah drew first blood, scoring one run in the top of the first inning off a sacrifice fly. After doubling their lead in the second, freshman
Megan Zaccario settled down and was able to retire the side in the third. FDU put runners on in each of the first four innings, but were unable to put a run on the board.
Zaccario escaped a first and third two-out jam in the fourth, retiring the Falcons lead-off hitter with a fly out to center. The rookie also pulled a Houdini act in the fifth, getting the Messiah hitter to pop up to short with the bases full. With one out in the top of the sixth, junior
Marlena Bevilacqua laced a ball to right center, but the Messiah centerfielder lunged to make a diving catch to prevent extra bases.
Bevilacqua, freshman
Gabby Young, and juniors
Taylor Torre and
Michelle Mangini all had singles for FDU. Zaccario struck out two in six innings, allowing two runs (one earned).
GAME 2: Arcadia 5, FDU 3 (9 innings)
Arcadia took advantage of a Devils miscue to score an unearned run in the top of the first inning, but junior
Audrie Thomas was able to rebound and allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings. The Knights doubled the lead in the fourth, as Bekah Good homered to left field.
The Devils evened the score in the bottom of the fourth, as Torre doubled and Mangini hit an inside the park home run. The left fielder toppled over the wall, while the ball glanced off the top of the makeshift fence and Mangini sped around the bases for her second home run of the season. The Knights had runners on second and third in the fifth, but Thomas recorded a groundout and fly-out to end the threat.
Arcadia put their first two runners on base in the seventh, but Thomas got the next hitters out, including striking the third out looking to end the inning. In the home half, Mangini led off getting hit with a pitch, but were unable to score and the game went into extra innings.
After neither side scored in the eighth, Arcadia exploded for three runs in the ninth, a pair courtesy of a single down the right field line. The Devils got a run back in the bottom half, but could not get any closer.
Thomas tossed a complete game, allowing five runs (two earned) while striking out a pair.
The Devils will be back in action with a pair of games on Wednesday.
