CAMDEN, NJ – The top-seeded Rutgers University-Camden Scarlet Raptors bounced back from an opening-game defeat here Sunday and went on to defeat Ramapo College, 7-2, to capture the 2006 New Jersey Athletic Conference Softball Championship.

It was the Raptors' second NJAC championship in three years and put an exclamation point on Rutgers-Camden's 18-0 run through the conference to capture the regular-season title. By winning both the regular-season and playoff championships, the Raptors became the first NJAC team to accomplish that feat since Rowan University in 2001.

Rutgers-Camden, ranked No. 4 nationally, had to bounce back from an opening-game loss, as the third-seeded Roadrunners handed the Raptors a 7-2 loss, forcing the winner-take all final.

With the NJAC championship, Rutgers-Camden posted the first 40-win season in program history, improving its record to 40-5. The Lady Raptors also earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, which will begin Thursday at a site to be determined. It will be the Raptors' third straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. They won the NJAC title in 2004 and earned an at-large berth in 2005.

Ramapo (32-11) will await word to see if it earns an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

Rutgers-Camden 7, Ramapo 2

The Lady Raptors fell into a quick 1-0 hole in the top of the first inning on a two-out home run by Ramapo junior designated player Becky Pollak (Branchville, NJ/High Point Regional), but Rutgers-Camden took the lead for good in the bottom of the first. Following a leadoff walk to freshman center fielder Marissa Van Cleef (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) and a fielder's choice, senior pitcher Michelle Schlichtig (Barrington, NJ/HaddonHeights) and sophomore first baseman Kathleen Dreitlein (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston). Dreitlein's single drove home the tying run. Junior third baseman Megan Farrell (Medford, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) plated the go-ahead run with her fourth sacrifice fly of the year to set a single-season school record.

The Raptors added an unearned run in the second inning before Ramapo cut the gap to 3-2 on a RBI double in the fifth from senior center fielder Erica Moore (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan).

Clinging to a slim lead, the Lady Raptors wrapped up the title with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, sparked by a leadoff single from Farrell. She advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an infield throwing error on a ball hit by junior catcher Mo Baney (Deptford, NJ/Deptford). One out later, sophomore second baseman Jayme Feriod (Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) and junior shortstop Alaina Giles (Willingboro, NJ/Holy Cross) drew back-to-back walks and Van Cleef poked a run-scoring single to center. Junior right fielder Autumn Millett (Richwood, NJ/Clearview Regional) followed by hitting into a fielder's choice. Feriod scored on the play and Giles came all the way around to score on an infield throwing error in the attempt to get Millett on a double play.

Schlichtig hurled a seven--hitter, allowing two earned runs and three walks. She struck out four while raising her record to 25-3.

Ramapo junior starter Marissa Marino (Wayne, NJ/Wayne) took the loss, working 1/3 of an inning, allowing one hit, one walk and two earned runs.

Dreitlein and Schlichtig had two hits apiece for Rutgers-Camden, while Moore had two hits for Ramapo.

Ramapo 7, Rutgers-Camden 2

The Roadrunners forced the winner-take-all game by overcoming a 2-0 deficit and handing Rutgers-Camden its first loss to a conference team all season long. The Roadrunners scored three runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth to snap the Lady Raptors' school-record 29-game winning streak.

Ramapo took the lead for good in the third inning, which started with a leadoff walk by Pollak. Following a throwing error on a ball hit by senior catcher Lisa Rizzo (Dumont, NJ/Dumont), the Roadrunners plated one run on an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Lauren Cascino (New Windsor, NY/CornwallCentral). After a ground out, a walk loaded the bases. Freshman pinch-hitter Mickey O'Conner (Madison, NJ/Madison) walked to force home the tying run and junior second baseman Ginny O'Brien (Emerson, NJ/Emerson) brought home the go-ahead run when she hit a foul sacrifice fly to right field.

The Roadrunners tacked on four runs in the sixth, aided by five hits and one error. The biggest hit of the inning was a three-run home run by Moore, extending her single-season school record to 14 homers. It was the fourth home run in four playoff games in Camden for Moore.

For the Roadrunners, Cascino and O'Brien each had two of the seven hits off Schlichtig, who saw her 19-game winning streak snapped. Schlichtig worked 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, seven runs (four earned) and four walks. She struck out four.

Rutgers-Camden scored single runs in the second and third innings to take its 2-0 lead. In the second, Farrell singled and scored on a double by sophomore designated player Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken), which came within inches of clearing the top of the wall in right field for a home run. In the third, junior shortstop Alaina Giles (Willingboro, NJ/Holy Cross) singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Dreitlein.

Van Cleef collected a pair of hits for the Lady Raptors.

Marino collected the win for the Roadrunners, working 4.1 innings and allowing five hits, three walks and two earned runs. She struck out one. Sophomore Katie Norton (Livingston, NJ/Mount St. Dominic) notched her second save of the season, working out of a jam in the fifth inning and working 2.2 shutout innings, allowing no hits or walks. She struck out one.

NEW JERSEYATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Tuesday, May 2
(at higher seed)

Game 1: #1 Rutgers-Camden 6, #6 TCNJ 0
Game 2: #2 Rowan 9, #5 Montclair State 5
Game 3: #3 Ramapo 4, #4 William Paterson 3

Friday, May 5
(at Rutgers-Camden)

Game 4: Montclair State vs. TCNJ
(TCNJ withdraws from tournament, Montclair State advances)\
Game 5: Rutgers-Camden 4, William Paterson 0
Game 6: Ramapo 12, Rowan 1 (5 innings)

Saturday, May 6

Game 7: Rutgers-Camden 9, Ramapo 3
Game 8: Montclair State 1, Rowan 0
Game 9: Ramapo 14, Montclair State 1 (6 innings)

Sunday, May 7

Game 10: Ramapo 7, Rutgers-Camden 2
Game 11: Rutgers-Camden 7, Ramapo 2

Rutgers-Camden wins the 2006 NJAC Softball Championship