Kissimmee, FL…The Rebel Spring Games came to a close for The College of New Jersey softball team on Saturday, March 18 as the Lions swept their final two games extending their modest win streak to three straight. TCNJ opened with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Simpson College (IA) and then the team posted a 6-0 shutout over Western Connecticut State University. The Lions capped their trip with a record of 6-4, while winning the last three.

TCNJ 2, Simpson College 1
Box score
Julianne Lajiness (Monroe Township, NJ/Notre Dame) hurled a three-hitter as the Lions rallied with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to claim the win. Lajiness was effective all game using her defense recording a pair of strikeouts to go along with nine fly outs and nine ground outs.

The Lions scored those two runs key in the sixth as Jen Hughes (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) doubled in Lajiness and then came around to score on an error putting TCNJ in front for good. Lajiness also finished the game with two hits for the Lions.

The Storm (12-4) took the early lead with an unearned run in the third before the Lions almost got the run back in the fourth. Carlyn Perrotty (Boonton Township, NJ/Mountain Lakes) doubled to center, but was later cut down at the plate on a single by Vicki Blevins (Robbinsville, NJ/Monroe Township) to end the threat.

TCNJ 6, Western Connecticut State 0
Box score
TCNJ kept things going against WCSU (0-1) getting right on the board in the opening inning as Tara Harrigan (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) tripled and raced home a few pitches later on a passed ball making it 1-0.

The Lions doubled their advantage in the fourth as Blevins plated Harrigan with a base hit to right field making it 2-0.

The runs continued to mount in the fifth as TCNJ pushed three more across the plate. Harrigan drove in the first of the inning with a double followed by a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of Hughes. The final run of the inning came when Perrotty singled scoring Harrigan for a commanding 5-0 lead.

Harrigan also played a big role in the game’s final run as she singled in Kelly Quigley (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton Lakes) with her third hit of the game.

Pitcher Heather Hoffman (Annandale, NJ/Immaculata) recorded her second straight shutout allowing four hits. She also ran her scoreless streak to 14 straight innings.

TCNJ returns to the field on Saturday, March 25 hosting the University of Rochester for a doubleheader at the Softball Complex.