Softball

FDU-Florham 6, Delaware Valley College 3 (Game 1)
Delaware Valley College 9, FDU-Florham 6 (Game 2)

MADISON (NJ) - Nicole Dorney and Nancy Kauffman smacked home runs in the second game as Delaware Valley College came back to earn a Freedom Conference doubleheader split with host FDU-Florham. The Devils took the first game, 6-3, before the Aggies registered a 9-6 triumph in the nightcap.

Delaware Valley snapped a five-game losing streak with the game two win and moved its record to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The team is just percentage points behind King's College (7-1 Freedom) for first place in the conference. FDU-Florham moved its record to 16-10 and 8-2.

The Aggies came right out in the second game and put five runs on the board in the first inning, all with two outs. Kelly Andrews notched an RBI single and, two batters later, Bethany Pavlik ripped a two-run double. Kauffman then followed with her third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the leftfield fence, for a 5-0 advantage.

FDU-Florham responded with three runs in its half of the innings, including back-to-back RBI doubles by Leah Minnick and Jen Haas. Delaware Valley then got one of the runs back in the second off a Devil error.

It stayed 6-3 until the fourth when the Aggies padded their lead with three runs. Lacy Miles had a one-out double and Brittany Stockert followed with a double of her own to make it 7-3. Following a ground out, Dorney ripped a two-run homer over the leftfield fence for her first round-tripper of the year.

FDU-Florham chipped away with a run in the fourth and then scored twice in the sixth and had the tying run at the plate with two outs. Aggie game one starter Kirstyn Ruhling came in to pitch and walked the first batter she faced to load the bases. However, Ruhling then struck out Julie Hartnett to end the threat. The Devils did put a runner on base in the seventh, but Ruhling set the rest aside for her first save of the year.

Jennifer Bummer picked up the win and improved to 5-3. Dorney finish 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Pavlik was also 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Kauffman's home run was her lone hit of the game as she went 1-for-2.

The opener saw Delaware Valley strike first with two runs in the second inning. Kelly Andrew led off the stanza with her team-leading fourth home run of the year. Kauffman later hit a one-out double and scored on Ruhling's RBI single.

The Devils tied the game in the bottom of the second with RBI singles from Megan Cicchetti and Kelly Nover. The Aggies then regained the lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Kim Harle, which scored Roby Jackson. However, FDU-Florham scored four times in the sixth with the big blow being a three-run homer by Hartnett. Ruhling fell to 5-2 with the loss. Five Aggies had one hit apiece in the game.