CAMDEN, N.J. (April 2, 2016) - The Rutgers University-Newark softball team split its doubleheader on Saturday at Rutgers University-Camden in the first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contests of the season for both teams.
Camden took the opener, 5-0, but the Scarlet Raiders came back to win the nightcap, 2-1, in eight innings.
The Scarlet Raiders move to 9-9 overall and 1-1 in the conference, and Rutgers-Camden moves to 10-8 overall (1-1 NJAC).
Rutgers-Camden 5, Rutgers-Newark 0 – Game 1The Scarlet Raptors' Brittany Scott threw a no-hitter for the hosts as the Scarlet Raiders had one baserunner in the contest and that was junior
Adrianna Pagnotta who was hit by a pitch with one out in the third inning.
Scott tallied eight strikeouts in the win, improving to 7-4 on the season.
Camden scored two runs in the third and three more in the fifth for insurance.
Sophomore
Kelly Yusko took the loss in the opener, going the first four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit. Sophomore
Morgan Walizer tossed the final two frames, and was charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits.
Rutgers-Newark 2, Rutgers-Camden 1 (8 inn.)In the second game, neither team was able to score in regulation softball, forcing extra innings. In the extra inning, the Scarlet Raiders struck quickly, pushing across two runs on three hits. Sophomore
Elizabeth Marflak led off the inning with a single to right field, and senior
Kelsey Lucas followed with a single. On the Lucas single, Marflak took third and Lucas moved up to second on the throw. Yusko was walked intentionally to load the bases with nobody out, and a double play allowed the first Rutgers-Newark run of the game to score. Freshman
Samantha Hoffman came up with two outs and Yusko on second base, coming through with a big RBI single to plate Yusko and put the Scarlet Raiders up 2-0.
Scott doubled in the bottom half of the inning and scored on a single to cut the Newark lead in half, but Yusko recorded a huge strikeout to strand the tying run on base and give her team the NJAC road split.
Rutgers-Newark belted seven hits in the second game, getting the first knock of the day from Marflak in the third inning. She finished 3-for-4 to lead the offense. Lucas was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and Hoffman went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Yusko scattered 10 hits in a complete-game victory for Rutgers-Newark, striking out three and allowing one earned run. She improved to 8-6 on the season and now has 19 career victories in a little less than one and a half seasons in the circle.
Rutgers-Newark will return to action on Tuesday when the Scarlet Raiders host Kean University in a conference doubleheader on Alumni Field beginning at 3 p.m. R-N and the Cougars split a pair of conference contests in 2015 in Union, N.J.
Note: Box scores have errors and will be updated Sunday.
