FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (April 9, 2015) – The Rutgers-Newark softball team earned a split in a doubleheader at Farmingdale State College Thursday afternoon.
 
The Scarlet Raiders dropped the opener by a score of 6-3, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win the nightcap, 7-4, in six innings. Rutgers-Newark is now 8-10 on the season, and Farmingdale moves to 9-7.
 
The hosts took a 3-0 lead on a trio of run-scoring hits in the bottom of the first inning in the second game, forcing the Scarlet Raiders to battle back. R-N could not get much going in the second, but tied the game (3-3) with three runs in the third. Freshman right fielder Elizabeth Marflak started the rally with a one-out single, and freshman Sam Held singled to put runners on first and second with one out. After a fielder's choice put runners at the corners, junior Kelsey Lucas stole second, and sophomore Anna Carlson came through with a two-out two-run single to get R-N on the board. Carlson would advance to second on a passed ball, and freshman hurler Kelly Yusko delivered a run-scoring double pull Rutgers even.
 
After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second, Yusko retired 11-straight Farmingdale batters before allowing a harmless single in the fifth inning. The rookie's brilliance in the circle allowed Newark to get over the hump and take the lead for good in the sixth.
 
Carlson remained hot with a leadoff double and Yusko drove her in with a double of her own. Senior Toniann Donde was next, delivering a single, and after a strikeout and walk, freshman Maria Rayfield brought home a pair with a single. The final Scarlet Raider run of the day was scored by junior Vannessa Romero with the aid of an FSC error.
 
Yusko improved to 5-3 on the season, allowing nine hits and four runs. She struck out four and walked one. Carlson and Yusko each had two hits and two RBI's to pace the offense, while Rayfield finished 1-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in. R-N totaled nine hits in game two.
 
Farmingdale took a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the opener and led 5-0 before the Raiders scored in the top of the third. FSC pushed across another run in the bottom of the fourth as two sixth inning tallies from Rutgers was not enough in the 6-3 loss.
 
Held scored the first Scarlet Raider run after singling to left field. Donde started the two-run sixth with an infield single and freshman Kayla Gallo singled right behind her. Romero singled to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Rayfield ripped a two-run single to right field for the final margin.
 
Donde went 3-for-3, Gallo finished 2-for-3 and Rayfield was 1-for-3 with two RBI's as the Scarlet Raiders totaled nine hits in the opener as well.
 
Rayfield finished her day with a team-high four RBI's and Donde had a team-high four hits.
 
Freshman Jess Cannon suffered the loss in the opener, falling to 0-4 on the season.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will return to action on Saturday when they visit New Jersey Athletic Conference rival The College of New Jersey. Game one is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start in Ewing, N.J.