Camden, NJ... Senior Lauren Fitzsimmons (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and sophomore Alex Carisone (Branchburg, NJ/Rutgers Prep), a pair of righthanders, both hurled a five-hitter and allowed only one run to pitch The College of New Jersey softball team to a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep over Rutgers University-Camden here Tuesday.
Fitzsimmons and the Lions won the opener, 5-1, before Carisone helped the Lions complete the sweep with a 3-1 win in eight innings.

TCNJ improved to 14-7 overall and 3-0 in the NJAC.

The Scarlet Raptors, who were playing their first home games of the season, fell to 8-9 overall and 1-2 in the NJAC.

TCNJ will play at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Rutgers-Newark in the makeup game of the rained out nightcap of their conference doubleheader on Sunday. The Lions won the first game, 11-0, in five innings.

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Friday when it entertains William Paterson University in a 2 p.m. NJAC doubleheader.
 
TCNJ 5, Rutgers-Camden 1
In the opening game, Fitzsimmons took a shutout into the seventh inning and settled for a five-hitter, walking two and striking out seven to raise her record to 9-2.

TCNJ collected single runs in the first, second and fifth innings, before tacking on two in the top of the seventh. In the opening frame, the Lions' junior third baseman Kelly Hommen (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) drew a two-out walk. She scored on a triple by junior centerfielder Liz Huttner (Princeton Junction, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South), who went 3-for-4 in the game with a triple, a double and two RBIs.

The Lions loaded the bases in the second inning on two walks and a single by sophomore shortstop Kristen Lake (Readington, NJ/Hunterdon Central). They scored on a ground out by senior leftfielder Crystal Lee (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls).

 A walk to Lee, a stolen base and an infield throwing error produced a TCNJ run in the fifth. The Lions added runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Hommen and a run-scoring single by Huttner.

Rutgers-Camden broke Fitzsimmons' shutout bid in the bottom of the frame after loading the bases on singles by senior pitcher Amanda Cassella (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) and junior leftfielder Jackie Leafey (Gloucester City, NJ/Miami Gloucester City), sandwiched around a walk to junior shortstop Kaitlyn Gaskill (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial). With two outs, senior rightfielder Vicki D'Anduono (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) walked to force home a run. Fitzsimmons worked out of the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to end the game.

Cassella (4-5) took the loss, allowing seven hits, six walks and five earned runs.

Huttner was the only player with multiple hits in the game as she pushed her hitting streak to 14 games.
 
TCNJ 3, Rutgers-Camden 1 (8 innings)
The nightcap was a pitching duel between Carisone and Scarlet Raptors junior Ashleigh Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown Regional).

The Lions notched a first-inning run on two hits, two walks and a run-scoring fielder's choice by junior leftfielder Ashley Sogluizzo (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South). That run held up until the bottom of the seventh when the Raptors tied the game after a leadoff walk to D'Anduono. She was sacrificed to second by junior third baseman Danielle Meng (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken), advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a clutch two-out double to right-center by junior leftfielder Tabby Dick (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City).  

TCNJ, however, bounced back with a pair of runs in the eighth after starting the inning with Lake placed at second base under the international tie-breaker rule. Lee followed with a single to left and raced to second base on the play. Junior rightfielder Michelle Casale (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) and Hommen then hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to center field.

Carisone (5-5) walked three and struck out five in her complete-game effort. Johnson (3-4) also tossed a five-hitter, allowing only two earned runs and two walks. She struck out four.

Lee went 3-for-4 with one run, while Hommen was 2-for-3 with one RBI to account for all of the Lions' hits.