Ewing, NJ... The College of New Jersey officially earned a spot in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament as the Lions took both ends of a doubleheader against visiting New Jersey City University on Saturday.
 
TCNJ claimed a 9-0 win in five innings to take the first game, and then rallied for a 4-2 in the second to complete the sweep.
 
The Lions improved to 10-4 in conference play and 21-11 overall. First-place Montclair State defeated Rutgers-Camden 1-0 in the opening game of their twin bill, locking up one of the six spots in the tournament for TCNJ . The Lions entered the day in a four-way tie for second place, and will remain in a second-place tie thanks to the two wins over the Gothic Knights.
 
TCNJ plays its final two road games of the season on Tuesday, April 24 heading to Rowan University, while the Gothic Knights are also in action, hosting Richard Stockton College. Both doubleheaders start at 3 p.m.
 
Game 1
TCNJ 9, NJCU 0
The Lions exploded for five runs in the second inning to break things open with the first run coming on a bunt single by Ashley Sogluizzo (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South), which scored Liz Huttner (Princeton Junction, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South). Sogluizzo then scored on a RBI single by Nicole Brodbeck (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) making it a 2-0 game. TCNJ made it 3-0 when the Gothic Knights committed an outfield error with the bases loaded.
 
TCNJ tacked on two more runs in the last of the third as Brodbeck brought home a run with a ground out and Katelyn Congilose (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) dropped down a squeeze bunt to score Sogluizzo. Those runs put the difference at 7-0.
 
The Lions plated the final two runs with two outs in the fourth as Brodbeck continued her big game with a single to right scoring Huttner and Sogluizzo.
 
Senior Lauren Fitzsimmons (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) picked up her seventh shutout of the season scattering three hits with six strikeouts.
 
Brodbeck finished the game going 2-for-3 and drove in four runs. Huttner and Sogluizzo also had two hits each and both players scored three times.
 
Junior Rebecca Satz (Morris Plains, NJ/Morristown) finished with a pair of hits for the Gothic Knights, including a double. That double was her 16^th of the season setting a new NJCU single-season record.
 
Game 2
TCNJ 4, NJCU 2
The Gothic Knights got the early jump in the second game scoring a run in the top of the first as Satz doubled and scored on a base hit one batter later by Marissa Bariso (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford).
 
That lead didn't last long as the Lions knotted things up in the bottom of the inning as Huttner put down a squeeze bunt to score Lee.
 
NJCU quickly regained that lead in the second thanks to a run-scoring single by Janissa Cardona (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth). That base hit plated Megan Ginter (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) making it 2-1.
 
The Gothic Knights had the potential to add to that lead, but Fitzsimmons entered the game in relief and left two runners on base.
 
In the fifth, the Lions took their first lead as Crystal Lee (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) drove in Lindsey Williams (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) with a hit and then scored on a double by Michelle Casale (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) making it 3-2.
 
TCNJ added an insurance run in the sixth as Huttner scored on an error.
 
Fitzsimmons picked up her second win of the day throwing five scoreless innings of relief and allowed just one base hit.
 
Huttner and Hommen both got aboard twice for the Lions as they had a hit and a walk apiece.
 
Bariso and Cardona each had a hit and drove in a run for the Gothic Knights.