Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HAMPTON, Va. – The University of Hartford softball team went 1-1 on day two of the Hampton Invitational, falling in the morning game to Fairleigh Dickinson (7-4) before taking down the host-team Pirates (4-1) in the final contest of the tournament. Senior Chelsey Mooney paced the Hawks (1-3) on the afternoon, combining for a 4-of-7 outing at the plate.

The Hawks' first baseman, Mooney collected four RBI, doubling twice and hitting her team's first home run of the season. Her second double of the day, which came in the sixth inning against Hampton (5-7), drove in a pair of runs to provide a cushion to Hartford's 2-0 advantage.

Making her college debut against the Pirates, Lexi Wilkerson allowed just one earned run on six hits in six innings, conceding just one walk during that stretch. Mooney went 2-of-3 in the Hampton win while Jenice Aloyo, a junior, also went 2-of-3 from the plate. Senior Genevieve Morneau-Vaillancourt rounded out the top-hitters, scoring hits in both of her at-bats.

Hartford took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth as junior Jackie Kelly plated Aloyo on a sacrifice fly. Two innings later, Kelly pushed the advantage to 2-0, pushing what proved to be the eventual game-winning run across home on another sacrifice fly before Mooney made it a 4-0 game on her two-base hit.

Hampton cut into its deficit before the end of the contest, as Taylor McCoy launched a one-out double that scored Margaret Wilkins, who doubled to lead off the frame. Following the score, Kayla DeSchepper tried to keep the rally going with a base hit, but the Hawks' defense put down the home team's threat, turning a double play to end the frame.

Jailynn Jackson took the loss for the Pirates, giving up four earned runs on seven hits while striking out three.

Hartford's opening game of the second day of the season against the Knights went back-and-forth, as the lead changed hands three times. Fairleigh Dickinson (3-3) opened up a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a one-out suicide squeeze from Angelique Nieves and a Madison Lerma fielder's choice in the next at-bat. But Hartford combatted those runs in the home half of the inning, plating four of its own to take a 4-2 advantage over the Knights.

All of the damage came with two outs recorded as Aloyo started the rally with a single through the middle of the infield. In the next play, sophomore Sawyer Fried reached base on a fielding error by Fairleigh Dickinson's first baseman, and both runners advanced one extra base on the play to put two in scoring position for the Hawks.

Kelly brought in the game-tying runs, slamming a bases-clearing double to right center field, and Mooney followed suit, launching Hartford's first home run over the right field wall to provide her team with its first advantage of the afternoon.

Fairleigh Dickinson struck back in the top of the fifth, though. The Knights rallied for three runs in the frame to regain the lead at 5-4, also pushing all of their runs across the plate with two outs recorded. Nieves started the rally with an RBI single that scored Bryana Dorado, who doubled in the previous at bat. After Nieves stole second, she crossed home plate on a double off the bat of Lerma, who went on to give the Knights the advantage after stealing third and crossing the plate on a throwing error.

The Knights added single runs to its advantage in the sixth and seventh innings to seal the win. Senior Zuzana Kudernatschova threw the first 4.2 innings of the game for the Hawks, striking out five while allowing five runs – two earned – on six hits. In relief, classmate Kaitlyn Meade went 2.1 innings, giving up one earned run.

The Hawks are scheduled to play for the first time in the Northeast on Tuesday, March 4 at Manhattan. The two teams will play a doubleheader with a 2 p.m. first pitch.