CLERMONT, Fla. (March 13, 2016) – Senior right-hander Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass.) fired a two-hit shutout on Saturday at Hancock Park, as the Franklin Pierce University softball team picked up its first win of 2016 with a 2-0 shutout of Philadelphia in non-conference, neutral-site play. Later in the day, the Ravens were held to just one hit in a 4-0 loss to Caldwell.

With the split, Franklin Pierce's record now stands at 1-3. Philadelphia fell to 2-3 with the loss to the Ravens, while Caldwell improved to 3-3.

In the first game, Hansen (1-1) refused to let the Philadelphia offense get anything going. She surrendered a leadoff double to senior right fielder Renee Kakareka in the bottom of the first and then retired the next 13 batters, before a one-out double by senior pitcher Nicole Troisi in the fifth. After the Troisi double, Hansen retired the final eight batters of the game. In all, she allowed just the two hits, did not issue a walk and struck out four while throwing her fourth career shutout to pick up the win.

Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce plated the only two runs of the game in the top of the sixth inning. Hansen started things with a single and then gave way to sophomore Abbigael Cook (Greenville, R.I.), who came on as a pinch runner. Cook stole second and then scored on an RBI double to center field by senior third baseman Erin Wood (Dover, N.Y.). Three batters later, sophomore right fielder Jaclyn Cortese (Upton, Mass.) cashed in the second run with an RBI single to left.

Over seven innings in the circle for Philadelphia, Troisi (1-2) allowed two runs on six hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out seven.

In the second game, Caldwell got the only run it would need in the top of the third inning. Junior center fielder Amy Hickman started things with a one-out single, stole second and came around to score two batters later on an RBI double by senior designated player Brielle Reighn.

The Cougars would tack on three runs on a pair of long balls in the top of the sixth to create the 4-0 final. Sophomore catcher Marisa Monasseri led off with a solo home run, her first of the season. Senior shortstop Megan Fryday followed with a double to set the table for junior second baseman Lauren Frye, who mashed a two-run homer, her second of the season, to cap the scoring.

Freshman right-hander Sabrina LoMonaco (Franklin, Mass.) started in the circle and threw the first 5.1 innings in the second game for the Ravens. She allowed four runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out four while taking the loss (0-1).

For Caldwell, senior right-hander Amber Padilla (3-0) threw the first six innings. He did not surrender a run, allowed just one hit, did not issue a walk and piled up 11 strikeouts on the way to the win.

The Ravens return to the field with two neutral-site, non-conference games at Hancock Park on Monday, as they continue their 12-game Florida trip. Franklin Pierce is slated to face Caldwell again at 1 p.m. and Minnesota State Moorhead at 3 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).