CLERMONT, Fla. – The Felician College softball team began its 2015 campaign with a 16-2 non-conference victory over Cedarville University during the Dot Richardson Spring Games on Friday afternoon at the National Training Center. Later on Friday, the Golden Falcons dropped another non-league decision to East Region foe Dowling College, 5-4.

Felician senior first-baseman Ciera Clark (Granite Bay, Calif.) was 3 for 7 for the day, driving in five runs. Junior catcher Amanda Lopez (Riverbank, Calif.) went 4 for 6 with four RBI.

Felician's initial game of the afternoon was shortened to five innings by the NCAA eight-run rule. The Golden Falcons produced 15 base hits, backing up a three-run first inning with nine more scores in the third. Felician tacked on four additional runs in the top of the fifth.

Lopez was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and four RBI, including a two-run double in the first. Older sister Aimee Lopez (Riverbank, Calif.) went 3 for 4 with a double. Felician put its first 10 batters on base in the third, taking advantage of two Cedarville errors. Freshman left-fielder Jeannette Roldan (Hesperia, Calif.) was 2 for 2, including a leadoff triple, and scored twice in the inning, and senior third-baseman Taylor Parker (Surrey, British Columbia) had a two-run single.

Freshman pitcher Ashley Owens (Lockport, N.Y.) was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion. Making her first collegiate start, Owens pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory. She allowed three hits, struck out one batter, and walked two. Another Golden Falcon freshman, Alicia DeFlaviis (Cherry Hill, N.J.), joined Roldan in picking up her first career hit.

Nikki Eigsti (Morton, Ill.) snapped the shutout with a run-scoring groundout and Nicole Davis (Greenville, Ohio) followed with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth for the Yellow Jackets (0-1), who left eight runners on base.

In Felician's late game, senior lefty Chelsea DeGuzman (Clermont, Fla.), a converted outfielder, made the first pitching start and second appearance of her collegiate career. DeGuzman found herself locked in a pitchers' duel with Dowling freshman left-hander Vanessa Juengerkes (Islip, N.Y.) (2-0). The contest was scoreless through four frames.

DeGuzman (0-1) was lifted after hitting consecutive batters with one out in the top of the fifth. The Golden Lions followed with three straight extra-base hits – a two-run triple from Tammy Vermeulan (Patchogue, N.Y.) and RBI doubles by Amber Fogarty (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Crystal Tarango (Fontana, Calif.) – to take a 4-0 lead. Dowling added what would prove to be a key fifth run on a throwing error.

Felician nearly came all the way back. The Golden Falcons loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth off of reliever Alisa Fjelstad (Corona, Calif.). Two batters later, Clark cleared the bases with a double to right field.

Owens held Dowling at bay for the rest of the game, and Felician again put three runners on base with one out in the seventh. Fjelstad induced a run-scoring groundout from Clark, moving the potential winning run to second base, then recorded a strikeout to end the game.

Senior Natalie Quintanilla (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) was 2 for 2 for Felician. DeGuzman allowed two earned runs on one hit in 4 1/3 innings. Vermeulan paced the Dowling offense with a pair of triples.