Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark split a pair of extra-inning games against New Jersey City on Alumni Field, falling in the opener 12-11 in 10 innings before bouncing back for a 2-1 victory in eight innings in New Jersey Athletic Conference play.

IN GAME TWO, junior right-hander Liane Drastal (5-8) bounced back from an opening-game loss in relief to hurl an eight-inning four hitter while tying the game in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly.  She struck out one and walked one while allowing no earned runs to out-duel Gothic Knight senior starter Ashley O'Beirne (12-16) who threw every pitch in the 18-inning twinbill.

Junior catcher Gabby Spinella went three for four to collect half the Raiders' hits while senior first baseman Monica Bagan went two for three.

In the first extra inning, freshman Krista Casale started the inning at second base under softball's international speed-up rule, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior shortstop Tiara Santi and scored on a hard one-hopper back to O'Beirne off the bat of Spinella.  O'Beirne made the catch, froze Casale off third and threw behind her to third base.  But Casale took off for home and beat the throw send the Raiders into a wild celebration.

Santi doubled to lead off the sixth and moved into scoring position on an infield hit by Spinella before Drastal's game-tying sacrifice fly.

A bases-loaded walk pushed across the New Jersey City run in the top of the first after a dropped throw to first base set up the unearned run.  Drastal gave up a double to junior centerfielder Casey Perez and a single to freshman rightfielder Thalia Garcia to start the game, but settled down to allow just four base runners the rest of the way.

IN GAME ONE, five Raider errors led to 10 unearned runs by the Gothic Knights (12-17, NJAC 1-9) in Rutgers-Newark's longest game of the season.

Drastal went three for six with, two doubles, two RBI and three runs while senior third baseman Monica Liotto was three for five with a double.  Junior rightfielder Tori Santiago went two for five with three RBI while freshman second baseman Vannessa Romero collected two hits and a pair of RBI.

Romero stroked a two-run single in the middle of a four-run first inning for the Raider as Rutgers-Newark answered a two-run outburst by NJCU in the top of the frame.

Spinella and Drastal roped back-to-back doubles before an RBI single by Santiago pushed the Raider lead to 7-3 in the fifth.

But a closely throwing error led to four unearned runs on five hits against junior starter Brianna Alicchio in the sixth to level the score.  All seven of the runs scored against Alicchio were unearned before she gave way to Drastal in the sixth.

Each team scored twice in the ninth inning to set up the decisive final inning.

Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Garcia and senior third baseman Rebecca Satz gave NJCU a pair of runs before an infield error kept the inning going for the Gothic Knights.  Back-to-back singles by junior second baseman Maxine Kaminski and senior shortstop Gabrielle Rivera brought in what proved to be the winning run – giving NJCU a 12-9 lead.

The Raiders clawed back with an RBI pinch-hit single by senior leftfielder Nicole Odell ahead of an infield error which put runners on the corners with one away.  Liotto ripped an RBI double down the leftfield line to put the tying and winning runs in position.  But O'Beirne go a pop up and a soft fly ball to center field to end the contest.

Rutgers-Newark (6-18, NJAC 1-9) hosts Ramapo College in an NJAC doubleheader on Alumni Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m.