Clermont, FL…The College of New Jersey softball team recorded a split of its two games for the second straight day as the Lions opened with a 13-0 triumph over Rhode Island College and then dropped a close 2-1 decision to Rhode Island College on Wednesday in Florida.
Pitchers Ashley Minervini (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) and Danielle Bertscha (Roseland, NJ/West Essex) combined on a no-hitter in TCNJ's win over Wisconsin Lutheran. Minervini pitched the first four innings with five strikeouts, while Bertscha closed out the game with a perfect final inning and two strikeouts.
The Lions (2-6) conclude their spring trip on Saturday, March 14 taking on Bates College and Bethel University.
TCNJ 13, Wisconsin Lutheran College 0 (5 innings)
Box Score
The Lions scored early and often against the Vikings getting two runs in the first inning and then exploding for six more in the second. TCNJ continued to put up runs scoring another in the third and added two more in both the fourth and fifth.
Junior Danielle Hagel (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Oakcrest) provided the big hit in the six-run second inning as she belted a two-run triple. Hagel finished a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate knocking in four runs and scoring two others.
Minervini and classmate and Ellen Seavers (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) added to the Lion offense with two hits each with Minervini adding two RBI. Freshman Katelyn Congilose (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) also drove in a pair of runs with one coming on a triple and the other on a sacrifice fly.
Rhode Island College 2, TCNJ 1
Box Score
The Anchorwomen broke a 1-1 tie with the deciding run in the top of the fifth inning after the Lions had tied the score in their previous at bat.
After RIC took a 1-0 in the first, TCNJ knotted the score in the latter half of the fourth inning as junior Rachel Greeby (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) was hit by a pitch and later scored on a base hit by senior Kelly Armstrong (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial).
Freshman Lauren Fitzsimmons (Bond Brook, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) suffered the loss for the Lions, despite recording a career-high eight strikeouts.
Sophomore Colleen Cawley (Riverton, NJ/Holy Cross) finished with a pair of hits for the Lions.
