Glassboro, NJ: The #3 Ramapo College softball team advanced in the NJAC Tournament with a 5-2 win over #5 Kean University. The Roadrunners move onto game 9 to take on #1 Rowan, the winner will advance to tomorrow's NJAC Championship game and will need to win two games against #2 TCNJ.
The Roadrunners (31-11-1) scored one run in the top of the first and their second run in the top of the second to take a quick 2-0 lead.
Katie Rygiel led off the game with a single before she later scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Avery Bartolomeo. In the second, Rygiel drove in
Anna Messina with an RBI single to right field, 2-0. In the fourth inning, Rygiel would get her third hit of the game with an RBI double to center as
Alex Hastings came around to score for the 3-0 lead. In the sixth, Kean came back with two runs to threaten the lead before the Roadrunners got out of the jam. In the seventh, Ramapo added two insurance runs to their lead, 5-2. With one out Rygiel recorded her fourth hit of the game, a double off the center field wall, which set the single-season hits record at Ramapo.
Alexis Corra drove her home with a single down the left field line to pick up an RBI before Bartolomeo would plate pinch runner
Lia Milsom with a double to the left-center field gap, 5-2.
Brooke Knight entered the game in the top of the seventh for the Roadrunners in relief in the circle. Rowan would work a leadoff walk before the Roadrunners turned a 4-6-3 double play to get the first two outs of the inning. Knight then induced a groundout to Rygiel at shortstop as she fired to Bartolomeo at first for the final out to the game to seal the victory.
Kassy Stefanski (11-3) earned the win in the circle as she struck out three, walked one and let up two runs and four hits in six innings of work. Knight earned her fifth save of the season as she faced the minimum of three batters in the seventh.
Rygiel finished 4-4 with two RBI and two runs scored while Corra collected two hits and one RBI and Bartolomeo posted two RBI.
