MOUNT ST. MARY'S (6-21, 0-0 NEC) at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (5-21, 0-0 NEC)
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 1:00 pm (DH)
Hackensack, N.J. (FDU Softball Field)
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MOUNT UPDATE: The Mount saw its four-game win streak snapped with a pair of losses to Brown at home on Tuesday. The Mountaineers were edged, 2-1, in the opening game before dropping the nightcap, 13-2. Pitcher Sam Lichtner continued her resurgence, pitching seven strong innings, allowing two runs with five strikeouts in the opening game. She is 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts over her past 14 innings pitched. Jessica Greenewald went 3-for-7 (.429) in the two games.
ABOUT FDU: Fairleigh Dickinson lost a pair of games at Siena on Thursday to fall to 5-21 on the season. The Knights have lost five in a row since a 4-3 win over Canisius on March 26. Madalaine Wilen leads the team with a .379 average, 10 doubles and 14 runs scored. Reanna Cervantes is hitting .361 with a team-best 16 RBI. Four different pitchers have started for FDU this year. Madison Lerma is 1-5 with a 6.45 ERA and a save in 33.2 innings pitched. Cheryl Lopez is the top starter, going 3-9 with a 7.63 ERA in 59.2 innings.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: Mount St. Mary's holds a 17-11 lead in the all-time series that started in 2001. The Knights have won the past three matchups, including a pair of 3-0 wins at the Mount last season. The Mount is 10-4 all-time on the road against FDU, including 8-2 since 2006.
LAST YEAR'S SERIES: Fairleigh Dickinson swept a twinbill at the Mount on April 18 last year. Loren Stavrou and Megan Reiner each tossed shutouts for the Knights in the wins. In the opening game, FDU took advantage of three Mount errors to score three unearned runs off Mount starter Danni Cummings. In the second game, FDU scored three times in the top of the seventh to earn the win. Mount starter Marian Ruf struck out nine in the complete-game loss. Madalaine Wilen hit a two-run homer for FDU.
HEINZE'S HOME RUNS: Junior Rachel Heinze leads the Mount and the Northeast Conference with 11 home runs this season. The 11 homers tie the Mount's single-season record that was set by Liz Christiansen in 2010. Heinze is 10th in the nation with 0.41 home runs per game, while her 11 total home runs are tied for 13th in the country.
TEAM BATTING: The Mountaineers are second in the Northeast Conference with a team-batting average of .300 this season. Marisa Mayes (.344), Jessica Greenewald (.342), Marian Ruf (.324), Rachel Heinze (.313) and Holly Buckel (.309) are all hitting over .300 this season.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Mountaineers went 4-2 on their six-game homestand. The Mount scored 33 runs in the six games (5.5/game) while the pitchers combined for a 3.32 ERA. Marian Ruf went 1-1 with a 1.31 ERA in 16.0 innings during the homestand. Holly Buckel hit .500 (8-for-16) with two home runs while Rachel Heinze hit .444 (8-for-18) with five home runs in the six games.
NEC OPENERS: The Mountaineers are 8-4 over the past six seasons in their NEC opening doubleheader. Last year, the Mount split the NEC opener with Bryant, dropping the first game before taking a 6-5 win in game two.
UP NEXT: Mount St. Mary's visits Georgetown for a single game on Wednesday, April 6, at 4:00 p.m.
