WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Sophomore right-hander Alexis De La Cruz (San Jacinto, Calif.) went the distance on a four-hitter as the Felician University softball team defeated Pace University, 2-1, during THE Spring games on Tuesday morning at DiamondPlex. Later on Tuesday, Felician dropped an 8-6 decision to Southern Connecticut State University.

Sophomore outfielder Vienna Chierchia (Manalapan, N.J.) went 5 for 6 on the day for the Golden Falcons. Classmate Daisha Howard (Westbury, N.Y.) hit two home runs and a triple during the loss to the Owls, tying the school single-game record of 11 total bases.

Against Pace, De La Cruz (1-2) yielded an unearned run in the top of the first inning. But she was unscathed from that point on, allowing only one other runner to reach third base. De La Cruz struck out three batters and walked two.

Felician, designated as the home team, drew even in the third. Lauren Del Campo (Claremont, Calif.) singled, moved up on a pair of bunts, and scored on a Mia Martinez (Bronx, N.Y.) hit. The Golden Falcons (2-4) went on to leave the bases full, but bounced back to score the eventual winning run in the fourth when pinch-runner Johanna Rivera (Cliffside Park, N.J.) scored on a wild pitch.

Chierchia and Martinez collected two hits each for Felician. Pace pitcher Anna Acevedo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (0-1) allowed seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts in the hard-luck loss, and Setter designated player Zole Iverson (Oregon City, Ore.) was 2 for 3 with an RBI. All 11 hits in the game were singles.

Southern Connecticut State pulled away during the middle innings of the teams' Tuesday afternoon affair. The Owls broke a 2-2 tie on a two-out run-scoring single in the fourth by Jayden Delaporta (Mystic, Conn.), then added three runs in the fifth, with a two-run home run by Jessica Perucki (West Milford, N.J.) handing the Owls an 8-4 lead.

Felician, the away team, drew closer on a two-run Jaylene Sierra (Jersey City, N.J.) single during the top of the sixth inning. But the Owls reclaimed the four-run advantage with a pair of scores in the bottom half. Howard led off the seventh with her second longball of the day and Madeline Layman's (Meridian, Idaho) RBI single later sent the potential tying run to the plate, but the rally ended there.

Cherchia and Howard were each 3 for 4, while Sierra and Alexis Velotta (Menifee, Calif.) had two hits apiece. Felician outhit the Owls, 12-6, but left nine runners on base. Katrina Roy (Bristol, Conn.) was 2 for 2 with a double for SCSU (2-1).