NEWARK, N.J. (March 22, 2016) - The Rutgers University-Newark softball team is on a roll. The Scarlet Raiders swept Drew University in a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday on Alumni Field to push their win streak to seven games.

R-N took the opener by a 5-1 final, and held on to win the finale, 8-7. Sophomore Kelly Yusko won both games in the circle as the Raiders improve to 8-6 on the season with a matchup with cross-river-rival New York University set for Thursday in Newark (4 p.m.).

Senior Kelsey Lucas, freshman Samantha Hoffman and Yusko all had four hits in the doubleheader with Lucas tallying two triples and a double.

Rutgers-Newark 5, Drew 1 - Game 1
The Scarlet Raiders took an early 1-0 lead in the opener thanks to back-to-back-back two-out hits from Yusko, freshman Liesel Johnson and sophomore Sam Held as Held drove in Yusko for the game's first run.

Yusko worked out of a two on nobody out jam in the second, and the Scarlet Raiders pushed across three runs on five hits in the third to open a 4-0 advantage. Yusko and Held singles put two on with one out before Hoffman doubled down the left-field line to make it 3-0. Freshman Brittany Robertson singled in front of a run-scoring base hit from Gallo to account for the third marker in the inning.

Senior Kelsey Lucas led off with a triple and scored on a fielder's choice to cap the Newark scoring in the fourth, and the Scarlet Raiders cruised to the four-run victory.

Yusko went the first four innings for the hosts, retiring the final six batters she faced and allowing no runs. She struck out two, walked none and scattered three hits. Walizer went the final three innings to earn the save, giving up a run on four hits.

Rutgers-Newark pounded out 12 hits in the opener, and four different Scarlet Raiders tallied multiple knocks. Yusko led the way, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, and Held was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Hoffman stayed scorching hot at the dish, driving in two runs and scoring one of her own thanks to a 2-for-3 showing, and Robertson finished 2-for-3 as well.

Rutgers-Newark 8, Drew 7 - Game 2
After scoring one run in the first three innings, the Scarlet Raiders pushed across six in the fourth to open a 7-0 lead.

Freshman Jen Wooley tallied the first hit of her career to get things started and the Scarlet Raiders never looked back. Sophomore Kayla Gallo ripped a two-run single, Marflak delivered an RBI single, and so did Lucas as the Scarlet Raiders recorded five hits in the inning. Yusko and Johnson each picked up a run batted in with fielder's choice ground balls in the inning as well.

The Rangers (6-8) battled back, putting across five runs in the fifth on five hits and four R-N errors to get within two at 7-5, but the Scarlet Raiders came back with a run in their half of the inning to go back up three. Gallo tripled with one out, and Walizer came through on a squeeze play, getting down a perfect bunt for the insurance tally.

Drew would score twice in the seventh on a homer from junior Emma Agostini, and the Rangers put the tying run on, but Yusko was able to get the all-important 21st out of the second game to lock down the one-run win.

Lucas was 3-for-3 (1B, 2B, 3B) with an RBI and run scored, and Gallo was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Hoffman went 2-for-3 with a run, and Yusko was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. R-N totaled 10 hits in the second game to give them 22 for the doubleheader.

Yusko totaled 6.2 innings in two different stints in the circle, striking out four and giving up two runs. The win was her seventh of the season.