Newport News, VA: The #2 seeded Ramapo College softball team earned an 8-4 win in the first round of the NCAA Newport News Regional over #3 seeded Pfeiffer University. The Roadrunners (32-10) handed the Falcons (43-3), who are ranked #13 in the NFCA Top 25, just their third loss of the season.
In the bottom of the first,
Katie Rygiel drew a leadoff walk and later scored on an RBI double from
Mahogany Wheeler for the early one run lead. In the top of the second the Roadrunners got out of a two-out bases loaded jam with an infield pop-up to hold the lead. In the bottom half of the inning with the bases loaded and two outs,
Avery Kontura laced a single back up the middle which allowed
Hannah Hensler and
Kori Gargiulo to come around and score, 3-0. The Falcons got two back in the top of the fourth with back-to-back solo home runs, cutting the Ramapo lead to just one.
Avery Bartolomeo would get the run back for the Roadrunners in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double. Gargiulo and Rygiel both recorded singles before Bartolomeo knocked in Gargiulo with a double with two outs, 4-2. Pfeiffer tied the game 4-4 on a two-run homerun in the top of the fifth as Gracie Griffin walked before Emma Chopko sent a ball over the left field wall. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Rygiel worked a walk to force home
Ysabellah Otero to retake the lead for good, 5-4. Kontura beat out an infield single which allowed Gargiulo to score, 6-4. Corra gave Ramapo two insurance runs in the sixth inning when she hit her team leading seventh homerun of the season, a two-run shot over the left-center field fence as Wheeler also scored, 8-4.
Brooke Knight entered for the Roadrunners in the sixth inning as she earned her 8th save of the season. Knight, who tied for the 3rd most saves in NCAA DIII this season, struck out four and scattered two hits.
Marissa DiPaolo (13-4) earned the win in relief for the Roadrunners, she worked two complete innings while scattering three hits and letting up two runs. Kontura, Wheeler and Corra all collected two hits each for the Roadrunners while Kontura recorded three RBI and Corra two.
Ramapo advances to play host and #1 seed Christopher Newport University tomorrow morning at 11:00am.
