Florham Park, N.J. (4/6/14) – The Kean University and FDU-Florham softball teams combined for seven homeruns in today's contests, battling to a split in non-conference, rescheduled action on Sunday.
Kean (19-5) picked up a 6-1 win in the opener, while the Devils (13-8) earned an 11-8 win in the nightcap.
Game One
After a pitchers' duel over the first three innings, FDU threatened in the bottom of the fourth, putting runners on first and second no outs. Yard struck out the next three batters to end inning and remain scoreless.
In the top of the fifth Kelly Moorehead led off with bloop single to right and advanced to second on an Emily Bissonnette sac bunt. Moorehead came around to score on a Tiffany Varriello single. Amanda Berezny (pictured left) hit her first career homer to left field, a two-run shot, just clearing the short wall in left. The Cougars reloaded the bases and senior Sandra Binkiewicz delivered a two-run double to deep right, scoring Jill Martin and Megan Cegielski. Yard helped her own cause with a bloop hit to left for an RBI.
In the bottom of the fifth, FDU erased the shutout as Maggie Murphy drilled a homer to deep center.
Yard improved to 10-3 as she tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts.
Game Two
The Devils opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, as Sarah Lima drilled a homer to dead center field. The Cougars answered back in the top of second as Bissonnette laced a single down the third base line, driving in Yard who led off with a walk. Martin continued the inning launching a three-run homer to deep center. In the bottom half of the same frame, Binkiewicz prevented an extra base hit by making an acrobatic sliding catch, robbing the Devils of a hit.
In the bottom of the third, the Devils pushed four across, with one scoring on an error, and the other three coming on Lima's second homer of the day, this one to right center. FDU stretched their lead in the bottom of the fourth, with six runs. With two outs in the inning, Jenna Apello delivered a crushing three run homer just over the wall in center stretching the lead to 11-4 for the Devils.
The Cougars clawed back into the game in the top of the fifth, as Cegielski, Binkiewicz and Yard all reached base before Moorehead (pictured right) stroked a grand slam to left field closing the gap to 11-8. That was as close as the Cougars would get, as they went 1-2-3 in the seventh to split in today's action.
