Glassboro, NJ: For the first time in school history, and for the first time under the direction of head coach Bridgette Quimpo, the Ramapo College softball team has won the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Championship.  The #2 seeded Roadrunners defeated the #1 seeded Profs of Rowan University today, 8-2 to take the championship crown.  The Roadrunners improve to 28-12-1 on the year as the Profs fall to 36-6 and await news on their own fate into the post-season national tournament.

Ramapo will learn where they are seeded in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow morning when the NCAA Selection show airs on NCAA.com at 10am, you can watch live here.

The Roadrunners scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Danielle Saporito hit a two-out single driving home Grace Brennan for the game's first run before Kim LaPenta ripped a double to plate Nicole Hernandez and Saporito for the eventual game winning runs for a 3-0 lead.
 
Rowan pushed a run across in the fourth and fifth innings to come within one 2-3 before the Roadrunners added four runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Melissa Moreno drove home Mikayla Melendez with a hard hit single to center field before Brennan laced a two-out two RBI double to allow pinch runner Emily Helmer and Moreno. Nicole Hernandez then ripped a double to left field allowing Brennan to come around and score for a 7-2 lead. Ramapo added one run in the sixth when Melanie Walling drove home LaPenta with a hard hit single through left side for an 8-2 lead. LaPenta reached base on a walk earlier in the inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Ramapo defense did their part to get the first two outs before starting pitcher Christina Brizek recorded a strikeout swinging to end the game and clinch the NJAC Championship for the Roadrunners. Brizek struck out three and walked none while she scattered five hits in the game. Ramapo pounded out 12 hits against the Profs while Brizek held Rowan to just five hits. Saporito, LaPenta, Walling, Brennan and Hernandez all collected two hits a piece while Moreno and Mahoney recorded one hit. Brennan and LaPenta led the team with two RBI each.

NJAC Championship Photo Gallery