LYNDHURST, N.J. – Felician University scored seven runs in the final three innings, capped by a walk-off sacrifice fly by freshman third baseman Johanna Rivera (Cliffside Park, N.J./Mount St. Dominic Academy), to earn a 9-8 victory over visiting Thomas Jefferson University in Game 1 of the teams' Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex. Jefferson rebounded for a 2-0 win in Game 2.

Jefferson (1-1, 1-1 CACC) was playing for the first time in 2021. The Golden Falcons were opening CACC competition for the season.

Freshman shortstop Mia Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Ursuline Academy) was 4 for 8 on the day for Felician (1-7, 1-1).

The Rams jumped on top early in the opener, receiving a three-run home run from freshman catcher Sam Gomez (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) in the top of the first inning. Jefferson nursed the lead throughout the early and middle frames, with the hosts pulling to within 4-3 on Sam Melendez's (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) solo homer in the fifth.

Felician junior left-hander Martarina Crumb (Branchville, N.J./Sussex Tech) retired the Rams in order in the sixth. In the home half, Krystina Lorch (Hemet, Calif./West Valley) circled all the way around to third base on a dropped pop-up. Martinez drove in Lorch with the tying run on a two-out infield hit, and, following a hit batsman, she scored the go-ahead run when Nicole Spiegelberg (Blauvelt, N.Y./Tappan Zee) ended an 11-pitch at-bat with a double. Felician tacked on three more runs in the inning for an 8-4 lead.

Jefferson, however, came up with a two-out rally of its own in the following stanza. With a runner on, a pair of infield hits loaded the bases, and Crumb hit a batter to force in a run. Gomez followed with a three-run double to even the score. But Gomez was cut down trying to move up on the throw to the plate, and Felician freshman Daisha Howard (Westbury, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) reached on an error to start the bottom of the seventh. Howard stole second base, was sacrificed to third by Lorch, and beat the throw home on Rivera's line drive to left field.

Melendez had a double, home run and three runs batted in and freshman catcher Sarah Harrell (Chesapeake, Va./Greenbrier Christian Academy) hit her first collegiate home run for Felician. Crumb (1-3) scattered seven hits and did not allow a walk in a complete-game effort. Gomez finished 2 for 4 with six RBI for Jefferson, which gave up seven unearned runs.

The Golden Falcons left seven runners on base without scoring in the nightcap, as Ram freshman righty Gianna DeLorenzo (Milltown, N.J../Rutgers Prep) fashioned a six-hit shutout. Felician redshirt freshman Abby Poirot (Winsted, Conn./St. Paul Catholic) (0-2) took the hard-luck loss in the circle, yielding two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Senior Breck Urban (Mullica Hill, N.J./Paul VI) drove in both Ram runs with a second inning ground ball and a double in the fourth. Martinez was 2 for 4 for Felician.

The Golden Falcons play a make-up CACC doubleheader on Monday at 2:30 p.m. in Lyndhurst against Georgian Court University.