Fayetteville N.C. – The young Broncos of the Fayetteville State softball team continues to hunt for a season win. FSU (0-6 overall) lost its home-opener twin bill 11-5 and 8-3 to the Knights of Saint Andrews. The sweep over the Broncos improved SAU's overall record to 6-10 overall.
Madison Mendoza (Apple Valley, Calif.) may have had the biggest swing of the doubleheader. The 2019 Preseason All-CIAA Designated Player was hitless in the Broncos first four outings and really needed one. When she stepped to plate as the fifth batter in the first game, Madison ripped the ball clean over the left field fence to tie game at one-one.
Neah Stevens (Raleigh, N.C.) gave FSU a 2-1 lead when her single RBI gave
Alex White (Fayetteville, N.C.) - who reached on a single through the pitcher - a way home.
Saint Andrews regained a 4-2 lead in the top of the third with a three-run five-hit inning.
Fayetteville State balanced the scoreboard (4-4) before the third inning closed out.
Grace Vincent (Durham, N.C.) knocked a triple into right center to bring home Mendoza, who reached base on a fielder's choice.
Alex White had the game tying RBI when she singled to third and allowed Vincent to score.
As the game went on, the hits for FSU became a little harder to achieve. During the dry spell, the Knights collected a run in the fourth inning and added two more in the fifth for a 7-4 lead. Saint Andrews had its best plate performance in the seventh inning with four runs off of three hits and two FSU errors.
Down 11-4 and facing one out with two runners in scoring position, Mendoza put up a sacrifice fly into right field which allowed
Cheyene Ingram (Sanford, N.C.) to score from third base. Going for the gusto, Vincent hit it deep into the waiting glove of the centerfielder.
Madison Mendoza suffered the loss in the circle which drops her pitching record to 0-2 as a starter. With seven innings pitched, she gave up 11 runs off 13 hits and six errors. Mendoza walked one batter and struck out four with 39 batters faced.
Mollie Phillips (2-2) was the winning pitcher for Saint Andrews with three innings pitched and 16 batters faced. She allowed seven hits which gave way to four runs. S.K. Brown took the circle in the bottom of the fourth after the Knights seized a 5-4 lead.
The second game of the doubleheader seemed to be a runaway as Saint Andrews held an 8-0 after four innings.
In the bottom of the fifth inning,
Cheyene Ingram belted a double up the middle for an RBI that allowed
Timmya Williams (Winston-Salem, NC) to score from second base. Williams reached first base when she was hit by the pitcher. She successfully proceeded to second on a failed pickoff.
Nikki Brown (Independence, Ky.) singled to right field to start the Broncos sixth inning. She advanced to second on a wild pitch and advance to third when
Mikayla Jackson (Spring Lake, N.C.) grounded out to the shortstop for the second out of the inning.
Alex White had singled to the catcher to reach first but the ball placement froze Nikki at third.
As Alex attempted to reach the scoring position of second base, Nikki dashed down the left line chalk after Alex stepped off first base with the intent of stealing second. The Knights' catcher pounced from her squatting position after the pitch and heaved the ball towards second base to pickoff Alex. As the shortstop ceased Alex's progression to second, it ignited a back-and-forth throw down to secure the third out of the inning. Before the second baseman would tag Alex in all of the commotion, Nikki stole home for the Broncos second point of the game.
Mendoza got her third RBI of the day in the seventh inning on a fielder's choice that allowed FSU's third run of the game.
Ashley Zook (Ottawa, Iowa) is now 0-4 in the circle after facing 35 batters in seven innings and giving up eight runs from nine hits and 7 errors. She struck out two and walked two.
S.K. Brown won her third game of the season (3-5) for the Knights with 32 batters faced in seven innings. She allowed eight Bronco hits and three runs with three errors.
Fayetteville State will travel to Columbia, S.C. on Thursday, February 21 for a doubleheader against Benedict College.
