NEWARK, N.J. (March 20, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark softball team topped Drew University, 11-5, in the 2018 home opener for the Scarlet Raiders.
Rutgers-Newark improves to 9-2 on the young 2018 season and is slated to return to action Sunday against cross-river-rival New York University on Alumni Field. Drew falls to 7-6 on the season. The second game of the doubleheader was called because of very cold temperatures.
The Scarlet Raiders pounded out 16 hits in the win, getting two apiece from freshman
Jaclyn Arute, senior
Morgan Schweitzer, freshman
Julie Contravo, senior
Morgan Walizer and freshman
Masha Corbett. Leading the Newark offense was sophomore
Brielle Mattiello who pocketed three hits in four trips to the plate with three RBI and one run scored.
Freshman
Paige Masiello earned the win in the circle, going six innings. The rookie allowed two earned runs (five total) on seven hits with two walks and a trio of strikeouts. The reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Week improves to 5-1.
The Scarlet Raiders raced out in front in the bottom of the first, sending 11 batters to the plate and pushing across seven runs for a 7-0 lead. Sophomore
Sarah Stiehler walked to lead off the inning and Arute laced a triple down the right-field line. Schweitzer followed with a line drive double off the center field wall, and after a walk and single, Morton lined a sacrifice fly to bring home Schweitzer. An infield single from Mattiello brought in another tally, Corbett would score on a wild pitch, and a two-run single from Stiehler capped the scoring.
Drew scored one run in the second to get within six, but Newark was able to get it right back when Walizer crossed on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame. R-N tacked on another run in the third when Walizer singled home Schweitzer for a 9-1 lead, but four runs in the fifth for the Rangers tightened things up.
Masiello was able to work her way through a tough fifth and tossed a scoreless sixth, before Walizer retired the final three Rangers in the top of the seventh.
Rutgers-Newark added a pair in its half of the sixth inning as well, getting a single from Mattiello to bring Morton and sophomore
Brittany Kalesse who delivered a pinch hit single earlier in the frame.
R-N is off to a marvelous start to the season, hitting .390 as a team and outscoring the opposition 90-41 through 11 contests. Seven regulars are hitting over .400 and the offense has a 124-80 edge in hits and a 78-37 margin in RBI.
NOTE: Fans, please stay tuned to www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com and @ScarletRaiders on twitter for any and all info regarding schedule changes - especially if snow fall estimates are correct on March 21. We will post information across those two platforms as quickly as we can.
