Union, NJ: The #22 ranked Kean University softball team won a pair of one run games in NJAC conference action over Ramapo College this afternoon, 3-2 & 2-1. The Cougars improve to 16-2 overall, 2-0 in the NJAC while the Roadrunners now stand at 9-7 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
Game one:
The Roadrunners got on the board in the fourth inning when
Ally Spellman led off with a double to left field and later came home on
Christina Brizek's RBI single for a 1-0 lead.
Shannon Cox then drove home Brizek with a double of her own as Ramapo led 2-0.
The Cougars would come right back and tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Jackie Riley led off with a single before being lifted for pinch runner Camryn Schaeffer. She was sacrificed to second before advancing to third on a fly out to right field. Kaitlin Stahlbrand then laced a double into right field allowing Schaeffer to score before a single from Maria Bonfanti plated Stahlbrand to tie the game 2-2.
The Roadrunners would leave four runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings before the Cougars came back in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to plate the game-winning run. The Roadrunners and relief pitcher
Paige Merle got the first wo outs in the bottom of the seventh on a ground out and strike out before Kean began their come back. Erin Hollyfield blasted a double to the left-center field gap before she was lifted for Tatiana Yourstone pinch ran. Riley came up big with a single into right field plating the game-winning run 3-2 for the Cougars.
Spellman, Cox and
Nicole Hernandez each collected two hits in the game for Ramapo.
Paige Merle (0-3) took the hard luck loss in relief, working the final 1.1 innings.
Game two:
Neither team could push a run across in the game until the fifth inning when Kean struck for two runs. Stahlbrand blasted a two-run homerun over the left field fence to put the Cougars in the lead 2-0. Samantha Krakower singled to left field with two outs before Sthalbrand stepped to the plate as she hit the sixth pitch of her at bat over the fence for her first homerun of the season.
Ramapo would get one back in the top of the sixth. Spellman and Cox each singled to start the inning before Brizek smacked a double to left-center field platting Spellman to cut the Cougar lead in half 2-1. Cox advanced to third but the Cougar defense would get out of the jam with a double play and pop fly to end the inning with the lead.
The Roadrunner put the game-tying run on base in the top of the seventh as Hernandez led off with a four-pitch walk before being lifted for pinch runner
Carly Vadinsky. She moved to second on a sac bunt from pinch hitter
Kendra Decker before Kean starting pitcher induced two strikeouts to end the inning and preserve the one run victory 2-1.
Stahlbrand struck out four, walked two and scattered four hits in the complete game win as she moved to 6-1 on the year for the Cougars.
Katrina Buczkowski (4-1) struck out four, did not walk a batter and scattered four hits for the Roadrunners.
The Roadrunners return to action on Tuesday, April 3rd when they travel to NJAC rival New Jersey City University for a doubleheader beginning at 3pm.
