MELBOURNE, Fla.- The Scarlet Raiders took on two more matchups on March 16th during their spring training. The Raiders walked away 1-1, losing to Hartford 9-7 and beating Salve Regina 10-5.Â
In the first game of the day, Hartford came out aggressively, scoring two runs in the first inning and continuing to build momentum with multi-run frames in the second and third to create an early deficit. Rutgers-Newark worked to settle in defensively, with Charly Peter and the pitching staff grinding through innings and limiting further damage as the game progressed.
Offensively, the Scarlet Raiders looked to generate momentum but struggled to string together hits against Hartford's pitching. The line-up was successful in the 5th inning, where they put up 5 runs. Maddy Haack, going 2-3, and Kayla Cardozo, going 2-4, helped to spark this offensive surge. Soncia Hughes hit a 7th inning 2 RBI double in an attempt to match the Hawks' 9 runs, but the offense was unable to catch up.
 In the second match-up of the day, the Rutgers–Newark put together a strong all-around performance in a 10–5 win over the Salve Regina University Seahawks, using timely hitting and a late surge to pull away.
After a scoreless first inning, Rutgers-Newark got the offense going behind contributions from the top of the lineup. Mariah Rimas-McManus helped set the tone, reaching base and creating opportunities, while Kayla Cardozo and Keelin O'Brien added key at-bats to keep innings alive.
In the middle of the order, Josephine Morales and Maddy Haack played key roles in driving in runs as the Scarlet Raiders built an early lead. The biggest moment came in the sixth inning, when Rutgers-Newark erupted for five runs, capitalizing on continued pressure at the plate.
In the circle, Michaela Hobson anchored the effort, working through innings and limiting damage while the defense, including Kristin Kloss and Soncia Hughes, made routine plays behind her.
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