CLERMONT, FL – Junior first baseman
Monica Bagan and sophomore designated player
Gabby Spinella each went three for four as Rutgers-Newark collected 13 hits to down Fitchburg State, 7-4, to start play in the NTC Spring Games on Legends Way Ballfields. The Scarlet Raiders (2-2) did not get a hit in a 5-0 loss to highly-regarded Messiah College in the second game of the day.
BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Rutgers-Newark 7, Fitchburg St. 4
Messiah 5, Rutgers-Newark 0
In the opener, freshman shortstop
Victoria Sovak went two for three and freshman second baseman
Kelsey Lucas was two for four while junior third baseman
Monica Liotto scored three runs to help fuel the attack against the Falcons (0-2).
Spinella ripped a 2-run single in the first and an RBI single in the third to stake the Raiders to a 3-1 lead.
After Fitchburg State took a 4-3 lead with three runs in the top of the fifth, Bagan singled and Spinella doubled to lead off the bottom of the frame. A ground ball to short by sophomore catcher
AJ Affholter brought home Bagan before a 2-out single by sophomore rightfielder
Tina Zaggia plated what proved to be the winning run.
Bagan and Affholter added RBI singles in the sixth to give winning pitcher
Liane Drastal (1-1) some breathing room.
Drastal struck out two and walked no one while scattering eight singles. She got defensive help when sophomore centerfielder
Tori Santiago threw out a pair of runners from the outfield in the third inning when the Falcons could score only one run on four singles.
Freshman leftfielder Kayla Philbrick went two for three with RBIs in the third and fifth innings for Fitchburg State while sophomore second baseman Ashley Forgues singled twice and scored a run in the fifth.
In the second game, Messiah sophomore Sara Dietrich (1-1) hurled a no-hitter for the Falcons (4-3).
Rutgers-Newark hung with the heavily-favored opponents until Messiah got five runs on three hits and a couple costly errors in the fifth inning.
Rutgers-Newark plays Oswego State at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in a single game.
