Highlights
NEWARK, N.J. (April 13, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark softball team picked up a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) sweep over New Jersey City University Sunday night on Alumni Field in Newark. The Scarlet Raiders won the opener, 3-0, and took the nightcap, 8-0.
Rutgers-Newark has now won its last four games overall – all via shutout. R-N junior pitchers
Kelly Yusko and
Morgan Walizer each registered two-hitters Sunday as the Scarlet Raiders improved to 15-19 overall and 3-11 in the NJAC. NJCU drops to 10-18 overall and 0-14 in conference play.
The Scarlet Raiders will visit Rowan University Tuesday for an NJAC twinbill in Glassboro starting at 3 p.m.
Rutgers-Newark 3, NJCU 0
Rutgers-Newark earned its third-straight win in the opener. The Scarlet Raiders jumped out to a 1-0 lead after one inning of play as freshman shortstop
Sarah Stiehler led off with a single, Walizer bunted her over and junior first baseman
Morgan Schweitzer drove her in with line-shot of a double in the left-center gap.
Yusko needed just 45 pitches to get through the first four innings of action, allowing just one hit/base runner over that span to keep her team up 1-0. The junior tossed a seven-pitch top of the fifth, and then doubled home Stiehler who led off the bottom of inning with a double down the left-field line. The Scarlet Raiders padded their cushion later in the frame as Schweitzer crossed on an NJCU error.
Yusko struck out the side and stranded a pair of base runners in the sixth, and she sent down the side in order with nine pitches in the seventh to lock up her ninth win of the season. The Pennsylvania native finished with a complete-game two-hitter, allowing no runs and striking out a season-high 10. It was her second-straight seven-inning gem and she has not allowed a run in her last two starts.
Stiehler led the offense with her sixth multiple hit game in the last eight, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Schwetizer stayed hot, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, and Yusko went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Newark totaled eight hits in the game, getting one apiece from junior
Elizabeth Marflak, Walizer and freshman
Brittany Kalesse.
Rutgers-Newark 8, NJCU 0 (5 inn.)
The Scarlet Raiders pushed across a single tally in the first behind an RBI single from Kalesse, and hits from Yusko and Schweitzer. R-N extended in the second, scoring four runs on four hits to open a 5-0 lead. All four runs crossed with two outs as Stiehler had an RBI triple, Walizer drove in a run with a double, Schweitzer smacked a run-scoring single, and a Kalesse delivered a base knock for the final tally.
Walizer kept NJCU off the board through the first five innings, and Rutgers-Newark added on in the bottom of fifth. Walizer and Schweitzer led off with singles, and Kalesse and sophomore
Samantha Hoffman drove them in with singles of their own to make it a 7-0 game. Junior
Sam Held walked to load the bases, and junior
Kayla Gallo brought home the eighth run of the contest with a sacrifice fly to right field.
In the final turn at the plate for NJCU, Walizer made quick work of the guests to lock up her sixth win of the season.
In total, Walizer went five innings and allowed no runs on two hits with two strikeouts. She faced two batters over the minimum, getting nine ground-ball outs. She is now 6-7 overall with six complete games and four shutouts.
The Scarlet Raiders pounded out 13 hits in the victory. Schweitzer went 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, and Kalesse went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Stiehler was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Walizer was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Notes:
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Sarah Stiehler now has 12 multi-hit games which is good for second on the team (Yusko, 17).
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Sarah Stiehler now has a nine-game hitting streak, while
Morgan Schweitzer has hit safely in the team's last six outings.
-Rutgers-Newark has outscored the opposition 17-0 during its current four-game winning streak.
