Lubbock, Tex. (Mar. 7, 2020) ---The Delaware State softball team suffered two painful defeats at a tournament by Texas Tech University today.
The Hornets dropped their first game to Marist 5-4 in nine innings before falling to Fairleigh Dickinson 4-3 in their second game of the day.
In the Marist contest, the Red Foxes scored the winning run on a bases loaded single by Claire Oberdorf  in the bottom of the ninth inning of the scheduled seven-inning game. Oberdorf drove in all five runs for the Red Foxes.
The run completed a comeback for Marist, which trailed 4-0 in the contest.
Delaware State scored first with four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Alaena Selden doubled in the first two runs and Alexis Roberson had a run scoring double to give the Hornets a 3-0 lead. DSU scored its fourth run of the inning when Marist booted a ball off the bat of Jonan Cunnigan with two outs in the inning.
Oberdorf smacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning off Hornet starter Tiffany Diao to pull Marist to within a run.
Delaware State was two outs from victory when Oberdorf singled in the tying run with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Selden and Caitlyn Meyer had two hits each to lead the Hornets.
Diao had her best pitching performance of the season, allowing five runs and 11 hits, while striking out three and walking three. She entered the game with a 17.45 earned run average in her 10 previous appearances.
In the Fairleigh Dickinson contest, Cassidy Triska hit a solo homer off DSU's Brianna Baker with one out in the bottom of the seventh to give the Knights the walk-off win.
The Hornets led 3-1 in the game before allowing the last three runs.
Delaware State trailed 1-0 before tying the game in the top of the second inning. Meyer was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Pinch runner Felicity Munoz advanced to third when Jaelyn Baker followed with a single to center. Munoz scored the tying run on a ground out by Andrea Johnson.
The Hornets pulled ahead for the first time in the game when Meyer hit her team-leading third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the sixth, to give DSU a 3-1 lead.
Delaware State's lead was short-lived as FDU answered in the bottom of the sixth when Savannah Thornell hit a two-run homer to tie the game at three.
Baker (1-7) allowed six hits and four runs to take the loss for the Hornets.
Delaware State (1-19) will wrap up tournament play with games against host Texas Tech and Marist on Sunday.
The Hornets will play their first home game of the season on Mar. 17 against Stony Brook.