Ewing, NJ... Backed a pair of shutouts from freshmen pitchers, The College of New Jersey softball team opened conference play with a doubleheader sweep over Rutgers University – Newark on Saturday at Lions' Park.

TCNJ won the opener 5-0 as Kelly Hardman (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) tossed a five-hit shutout before classmate Alex Carisone (Branchburg, NJ/Rutgers Prep) was just as impressive in the second game firing a one-hitter in a 4-0 victory in the nightcap.

The pair of wins puts TCNJ at 15-4 on the season and a 2-0 start in New Jersey Athletic Conference play. The Scarlet Raiders are 0-2 in the conference and 4-12 overall.

Both teams continue conference play on Tuesday, April 5 as TCNJ hosts Rutgers University-Camden in a 3 p.m. doubleheader, while the Scarlet Raiders remain on the road with a pair of games at Kean University.

Game 1
TCNJ 5, Rutgers-Newark 0
Hardman led a balanced effort in the opener as she tossed the shutout that featured stellar defense and timely hitting by the hosts. Hardman improved to 4-1 on the season as she finished with five strikeouts.

The hosts opened the scoring in the bottom half of the fourth as junior Crystal Lee (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) used her speed to generate a run. She beat out a bunt and swiped second to get into scoring position. Sophomore Liz Huttner (Princeton Junction, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) then drove her in for the game's opening run with a single up the middle.

Hardman benefitted from tremendous team defense as the Lions came up with several key plays to thwart Rutgers-Newark scoring chances. Hardman made one of those plays herself snaring a hard grounder up the middle and quickly turning and erasing a Scarlet Raider runner who strayed too far from second base.

In the third, TCNJ's defense came up with another key play as the Rutgers-Newark's Monica Bagan (Wallington, NJ/Wallington) doubled into the gap in left center, but was cut down trying to stretch it into a triple. The combination of Lee to Ashley Sogluizzo (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) to Kelly Hommen (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) erased that threat.

An inning after driving in a run, Huttner flashed her glove in center field making a nice sliding grab taking away another potential extra-base hit.

TCNJ exploded for four runs in the fifth as each run came with two outs after an error extended the inning. Sogluizzo and Huttner boasted back-to-back run-scoring singles before Hommen doubled in a run making it 4-0. The final run of the inning came when Colleen Cawley (Riverton, NJ/Holy Cross) singled through the hole on the right side of the infield as pinch-runner Corinne Minicozzi (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne) raced home from second.

The Lions also used their defense to close out the win ending the game turning a 1-6-3 double play.

Cawley finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, while Huttner and Lee each had two hits.

Three of the five hits Rutgers-Newark were for extra bases as Bagan, Carrie Wan (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), and Liane Drastal (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) each doubled.

Game 2
TCNJ 4, Rutgers-Newark 0
Carisone retired the first 14 batters she faced an allowed only a sixth-inning single as she garnered her fourth win of the season. She collected six strikeouts and walked just one.

The Lions jumped out to the early lead with a pair of runs in the first Sogluizzo singled and came around to score on base hit by Hommen, while Hommen later scored on a single by Michelle Kent (Sparta, NJ/Pope John).

TCNJ doubled that advantage in the second as Huttner singled to center field to score Michelle Casale (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), while Cawley forced in the second with a bases-loaded walk.

Sogluizzo had two hits for the Lions in the win and also scored twice.

Sophomore Nicole Odell (Hammonton, NJ/St. Joseph's) collected the lone hit for the Scarlet Raiders.