Mejia And Gillespie Lead Long Island To Doubleheader Sweep Of FDU

(boxscore - Game 1)
(boxscore - Game 2)

4/18/06 -- Senior Krystal Mejia (Sylmar, Calif.) and junior Randi Gillespie (San Jose, Calif.) collected a combined eight of the team’s 13 total hits to lead Long Island to a pair of victories, 2-0 and 3-1, in a doubleheader sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson in Northeast Conference softball action at LIU Field.

Jenny Giles (Melbourne, Fla.) notched her 15th win of the season, striking out six and scattering seven hits. The shutout was the second for the freshman in her past three starts.

Senior Jess Busick (Milpitas, Calif.) struck out a season-best eight batters in the second contest, scattering five hits and allowing just one run.

With one out in the third inning, Mejia drilled a base hit up the middle to plate Gillespie and give the Blackbirds a 1-0 lead in the first contest.

LIU tacked an insurance run on the board in the sixth frame. Senior Leah Glenn (Huntington Beach, Calif.) reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced two bases on a wild pitch. With two outs, Gillespie drove a 2-2 pitch into center field to score Glenn from third and give the Blackbirds all the runs they needed for the triumph.

The Knights took an early lead over the Blackbirds in the third inning of the second contest. With two outs, Stephanie Cahill singled to right field to score Jennifer Whitley in a play at the plate.

The Blackbirds answered in the fourth, scoring all their runs. Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, Va.) opened the frame, taking first after being hit by a pitch. She moved to second on a single from Gillespie and Alyssa Winslow (San Jacinto, Calif.) moved both runners ahead on a sacrifice bunt. Following an out, Mejia scored and Gillespie advanced to third on a wild pitch by FDU hurler Nicole Webb.

Junior Holly Erwin, who stretched her hitting streak to eight games, drove in the game’s second run of the inning with a double to right center. Sophomore Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, Calif.) followed, having her ball dropped by the center fielder as Erwin came around to push the Blackbirds to the eventual 3-1 win.