Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey and SUNY Cortland each came away with a win on Saturday as the two programs split a doubleheader at Dr. June Walker Field. The Lions claimed the opening game by the score of 3-1, while the Red Dragons held off the hosts for an 8-6 win the nightcap.
 
The split put TCNJ at 6-10 on the season, while SUNY Cortland is 6-6.
 
The victory leaves head coach Sally Miller (499-244-2) one shy of joining the prestigious 500-win club. Miller will get her chance at that 500^th win on Tuesday, March 25 when Lions head to DeSales University for a doubleheader. The opening game starts at 3 p.m. She is poised to become the 38^th coach in Division III history to reach that milestone.
 
Game 1
The College of New Jersey 3, SUNY Cortland 1
The Lions scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning with senior Nicole Brodbeck (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) getting things started with a bang, driving a lead-off home run to center field for a 1-0 lead.
 
TCNJ added two more runs to increase that margin to 3-0 when freshman Jessica Kennick (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) singled in both freshman Nery Cerda (North Bergen, NJ/High Tech) and senior Kristen Lake (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central).
 
The Red Dragons trimmed one run off of that margin in the top of the seventh as senior Briana Barca (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) singled in a run.
 
Lion pitcher Ashtin Helmer (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) was stellar throughout, scattering four hits and allowed only one unearned run. She also struck out eight in her third win of the season.
 
Game 2
SUNY Cortland 8, The College of New Jersey 6
Cortland outslugged the Lions in the second game as the teams combined for five home runs, but the Red Dragons held off TCNJ in the late going to come away with the split.
 
The teams traded runs in the second inning with the Red Dragons taking the initial lead in the top half as junior Courtney Kadish (East Amherst, NY/East Amherst) singled home a run. TCNJ answered in its half when freshman Olivia Fahr (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) poked a base hit up the middle plating Brodbeck.
 
Cortland used three home runs in the third inning to score five times to take a 6-1 lead.
 
Lake got one of the runs back in the latter half of the inning for the Lions as she laced a solo home run to left center.
 
TCNJ used another home run to close to within 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth when Kennick hit a three-run homer. That homer was the first of Kennick's career.
 
Cortland responded in the fifth as sophomore Diane Cork (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) hit a solo shot making it an 8-5 lead.
 
The Lions got one more run back in the sixth when sophomore Christine Desiderio (Babylon, NY/Babylon) singled to left scoring sophomore Deanna Utter (Byram, NJ/Lenape Valley).
 
Cortland's Amber Corrigan (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) then kept the Lions off of the scoreboard in the seventh to pick up the save, while junior Sarah Salamone (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) picked up her first win of the season.