CENTER VALLEY, PA – Junior third baseman Monica Liotto ripped a 2-out, 2-run single in the top of the seventh to give Rutgers-Newark a 4-3 win over DeSales University and a split of a Sunday doubleheader.  The Bulldogs took the opener, 12-7.

BOX SCORES & PLAY-BY-PLAY
DeSales 12, Rutgers-Newark 7
Rutgers-Newark 4, DeSales 3

IN THE SECOND GAME, sophomore right-hander Brianna Alicchio (5-1) settled down after a rocky start to post the complete-game win.  She scattered 11 hits and gave up no walks while striking out one.  She gave up two runs on three hits – including a lead-off triple – in the first.  But a lead-off home run in the third was the last run she allowed as she won her fourth consecutive decision.

In the top of the seventh, sophomore centerfielder Tori Santiago and freshman second baseman Kelsey Lucas had back-to-back 1-out singles before freshman shortstop Victoria Sovak moved the runners into scoring position with a long fly ball to left field.  Liotto then delivered the game-winning single to center field.

All of the Rutgers-Newark runs in the game came with two outs.

Liotto also had an RBI double in the fifth, plating Sovak who had drawn a 2-out walk from first, to whittle the Raider deficit to 3-2.

With two out in the third, Santiago, Lucas and Sovak strung together singles to put Rutgers-Newark on the board at 2-1.

IN THE OPENER, Sovak went three for four with a pair of doubles to pace the 10-hit Raider offense.  But DeSales piled up 14 hits with senior centerfielder Brianna Chilcoat going four for four with three RBIs and three runs scored.

The Bulldogs (5-11) jumped on Raider sophomore starter Liane Drastal (3-6) for 10 runs on 10 hits before she could post an out in the third inning.  Alicchio closed out the game.

Sovak doubled and scored on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Gabby Spinella who scored on a single by junior first baseman Monica Bagan as Rutgers-Newark got off to a 2-0 start.  But DeSales scored five in the first, one in the second and four in the third to blow open the game.

In the second, Sovak ripped a 2-out, 2-run double to trim the Raider deficit to 5-4.

Sophomore third baseman AJ Affholter had an RBI single in the third, Lucas scored on a wild pitch in the fourth and Liotto delivered a sacrifice fly to left field in the sixth for the other Raider runs.

Lucas went two for three with a walk and scored three times while Bagan also went two for three.

Rutgers-Newark hosts FDU-Florham in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at 4 o'clock on Alumni Field.