Clermont, FL: The Ramapo College softball team came back to defeat Concordia University (WI) 3-2 before falling to Tufts University 1-0 at The Spring Games. The Roadrunners now stand at 5-5 overall and will play their final two games of the spring trip tomorrow afternoon.
Game one
Concordia (5-6 overall) scored one run in the top of the first inning when Samantha Schloegl singled, stole second and advanced on a ground out. Jenna Pozezinski then drove a single back up the middle allowing Schloegl to score for the first run of the game. Ramapo tied the game in the bottom half of the inning.
Jackie Howarth walked and stole second before
Carli Egan laced a single down the left field line for the 1-1 tie.
The Falcons would go up 2-1 in the second when Taylor Kuske led off with a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home when Krystal Cortes was caught stealing at second base. In the third inning for Ramapo,
Olivia Wang led off with a double down the left field line before Howarth put down a bunt single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Concordia recorded the first two outs of the inning before Egan drove home Wang with a hard-hit single past third base for the 2-2 tie. Wang came up big for the Roadrunners in the fifth inning when she hit her first home run of her career to straight away center field to put Ramapo on top 3-2.
Concordia would put the tying run on second base in the seventh inning with one out before Ramapo starting pitcher
Jessica Becchetti induced a ground out to short and line out to first to end the game. Becchetti fired a complete game with two strikeout and two walks. She scattered five hits and sent Concordia down in order in the third, fourth and sixth inning of the game. Egan finished 2-3 with two RBI while Wang was perfect at the plate 2-2 with two runs scored and one RBI.
Game two
The Roadrunners second game of the day ended up being a pitcher's duel as Tufts University starting pitcher Kristi Van Meter and
Erin Fitzsimmons put up zeros on the scoreboard until the sixth inning.
Jackie Howarth led off the game with a double that snuck inside the line past third base before Van Meter induced a fly out and back-to-back strike outs to end the threat. Tufts would put runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom half of the inning before Fitzsimmons got out of the jam with a pop up to second and strike out swinging before she ended the inning catching a line drive for the final out.
In the fourth the Jumbos put a runner in scoring position with no outs when Kristen Caporelli laced a double to left-center field and later moved to third on an infield ground out. Fitzsimmons recorded a line-drive out to end the inning. Van Meter struck out the side in the fifth but the Ramapo defense worked a flawless fifth to hold the score 0-0.
Ramapo was held scoreless in the top of the sixth despite getting a runner on with two outs. In the bottom half of the inning Tufts broke through for the eventual game-winning run. Emma Della Volpe was hit by a pitch before moving to second on a sac bunt. Fitzsimmons got a big strikeout for the second out of the inning and had Casey Maggiore at a 2-2 count before she laced a single back up the middle allowing Della Volpe to slide just ahead of the throw home, 1-0. Van Meter sent the Roadrunners down in order in the seventh as Tufts earned the win and moved to 10-0 overall. The Jumbos received votes in the latest NFCA Top 25 Poll.
Van Meter recorded a one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and one walk as she moved to 4-0 overall. Fitzsimmons (3-4) struck out six, walked one and scattered three hits for Ramapo.
The Roadrunners return to action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Allegheny College at 12pm and Bowdoin at 2:15pm.
