Mahwah, NJ: The #3 seeded Kean University softball team came back to defeat #2 seeded Ramapo College today in the second round of the NJAC playoffs, 5-2. The Cougars move to 29-12 overall while the Roadrunners now stand at 28-9 overall.
Ramapo scored their two runs in the bottom of the first for a quick 2-0 lead.
Katie Rygiel laced a double to right-center field before
Avery Kontura launched a ball that hit off the top of the fence for an RBI double. Kontura moved to third on a wild pitch and later scored on an RBI single from
Mahogany Wheeler for the team's second run.
In the third, Kean would score two unearned runs on a costly error by the Ramapo defense to tie the game at two. In the bottom of the fourth,
Hannah Hensler and
Kori Gargiulo each singled before the Cougars intentionally walked
Katie Rygiel with two outs to load the bases for Kontura. Kontura worked a 3-1 count before sending a hard line drive into center field that was caught for the final out of the inning. Kean took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a sac fly from Andy Perseponko which allowed Eliza Filus to score. Karly Messina gave the Cougars a pair of insurance runs with a two-run homerun in the top of the seventh, 5-2.
Nikki Lusnia (15-8) struck out eight, walked three and surrendered nine hits and two runs in the win for the Cougars. Kean advances in the winner's bracket to game 7 to be played on May 7th against the winner of #1 Rowan/#5 TCNJ.
Marissa DiPaolo (11-3) struck out two, walked three and surrendered eight hits and five runs (three earned) in 6.2 innings of work.
Brooke Knight recorded the final out of the top of the seventh in relief.
Avery Bartolomeo and Rygiel each finished 2-3 in the game while five other Roadrunners each collected one hit including a pinch-hit single from
Alex Hastings.
Ramapo will now take on #4 Stockton University in game five of the NJAC Tournament which is slated to be played on Tuesday, May 7th. The location is to be determined at this time as the outcome of game four, the Rowan/TCNJ game which was postponed today, will determine the location of games 6 & 8 of the tournament. That game has no makeup date set. Stay up to date on ramapoathletics.com or njacsports.com.
