NEWARK, N.J. (April 19, 2016) – The Rutgers University-Newark softball team split a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) doubleheader with Montclair State University Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
 
Rutgers-Newark was victorious 1-0 in the opener behind the arm of sophomore Kelly Yusko and the bat of freshman Samantha Hoffman, but the Scarlet Raiders faltered late in a 6-5 game two loss.
 
R-N is now 14-16 overall and 4-8 in the NJAC, while MSU moves to 4-8 in conference play and 20-12 overall.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will visit non-conference rival Baruch College on Thursday afternoon looking for a pair of wins to get back to .500 on the season.
 
Rutgers-Newark, 1, MSU 0 – Game 1
The story of the opener was the pitching and defense of the Scarlet Raiders.
 
After Yusko sent down the guests one-two-three in the first, the Scarlet Raiders took a 1-0 lead on two hits and an error in the bottom half. Senior Kelsey Lucas was hit by a pitch with one out, and Yusko singled behind her to put runners at first and second. After a fly out, an error filled the bases ahead of a run-scoring single off the bat of Hoffman.
 
MSU starter Sam Keating worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second and a leadoff double from sophomore Sam Held in the third, and Yusko continued to cruise as the second-year Scarlet Raider standout sent down 13 of the first 14 batters she faced.
 
In the fifth, Montclair loaded the bases with three-straight singles to left field, but Yusko was able to work her way out of it without a run crossing the plate.
 
The Red Hawks tallied a pair of hits with two outs in the sixth inning, but Yusko again did she what had to in order to get out of it, inducing a fly out to left fielder Elizabeth Marflak.
 
Marflak made several fine plays in left field in the opener, and Hoffman made a huge play in center in the top of the seventh. After getting the first batter of the inning to pop up to shortstop, Yusko allowed a pair of singles to put runners on first and second with one out. MSU shortstop Victoria Gehring blooped the ball to shallow center where Hoffman had to come in full speed and dive head first to make the grab. The next batter grounded to sophomore Kayla Gallo at second who made a lunging play to lock up the 1-0 win.
 
Yusko was masterful, earning the complete-game shutout victory. She scattered eight hits and struck out two to improve to 11-1 on the season. Keating was the hard-luck loser, dropping to 8-6 with six innings of six-hit ball, allowing just one unearned run in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Marflak, Yusko, Held and freshman Brittany Robertson all picked up one hit, with Hoffman going 2-for-2 with an RBI to pace the Raiders.
 
MSU 6, Rutgers-Newark 5 – Game 2
Yusko started the second game with a perfect inning before giving way to sophomore Morgan Walizer who had played third base for the first eight innings of the doubleheader.
 
In the bottom of the first, R-N jumped out to a 1-0 edge thanks to a leadoff double from Marflak and a run-scoring single from freshman designated hitter Liesel Johnson.
 
A leadoff triple from Gallo and a hit by pitch from Robertson put runners at the corners with nobody out in the second, and Walizer promptly followed with a rip to left to make it 2-0 Newark. Marflak walked to load the bases, and Lucas laced a single to left to drive in Robertson. Johnson came through with a one-out sacrifice fly, and Held ripped a sharp single to center field to make it four runs in the second and 5-0 Scarlet Raiders.
 
Walizer was perfect in her first two innings of work as MSU went nine up and nine down to start the second game. Walizer and Yusko combined to get through the fourth allowing one run on two hits and an error, and Walizer went back to the circle to toss a scoreless fifth.
 
MSU pushed across a run in the sixth to get within three, and a two-run single from senior Brooke Powers in the seventh made it a one-run game (5-4) with just one out. A groundout put runners on second and third with two out, and freshman Victoria Gehring delivered a hard-hit single to left on a 2-2 pitch to give MSU the lead (6-5).
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Yusko and Johnson each hit the ball well to center field but Powers made two solid plays, and Held hit the ball to deep left but was robbed by sophomore Schyler Edwards who made a leaping catch in front of the fence.
 
Rutgers-Newark had nine hits in the second game, getting two from Gallo (2-for-3, 3B, 2B, R) and Marflak (2-for-3, 2R, 2B, BB). Lucas was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Johnson went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Held was 1-for-4 with an RBI, Hoffman went 1-for-3 with a triple, and Walizer was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.
 
Yusko was charged with the loss, giving up one earned run in 3.2 innings of work. Walizer was charged with five runs (all earned) in 3.1 innings of work as the duo alternated between the circle and third base throughout the game.
 
Booth earned the win for MSU and also went 3-for-4 with two runs scored at the plate.