Newark, NJ… The College of New Jersey softball team used the hot bats of senior Lindsey Williams (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) and sophomore Deanna Utter (Byram, NJ/Lenape Valley) to pull off its second straight doubleheader sweep as the Lions took a pair of games from Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday.
 
The Lions won the opening game 6-0 as Utter blasted a three-run home run to key the win, while Williams laced her third homer in the last four games in the nightcap as TCNJ posted a 7-2 victory.
 
In the last four games, Utter is a blistering 9-for-10 with five runs scored and six runs driven in. Williams has been equally as impressive with three homers and three doubles in that same time frame, while picking up 10 hits in 13 plate appearances.
 
The win put the Lions at 10-22 for the season and 4-12 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while the Scarlet Raiders fell to 1-15 in the conference in the conference and 12-24 overall.
 
TCNJ wraps up the regular season on Saturday, April 26 when they host William Paterson University for a doubleheader at Dr. June Walker Field. The opening game is set for 1 p.m.
 
Game 1
The College of New Jersey 6, Rutgers-Newark 0
Senior Alex Carisone (Branchburg, NJ/Rutgers Prep) was sharp on the mound tossing a complete game shutout, allowing only six hits. She only allowed one runner to reach third base.
 
The Lions provided their pitcher with all of the support they would need in the fifth inning when freshman Colleen Phelan (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) had a RBI double and sophomore Jamie Purcell (Nutley, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic Academy) dropped a bunt to bring in another run making it 2-0.
 
Utter then hit her second home run of the season in the sixth scoring senior Kristen Lake (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) and sophomore Kristen Fitzsimmons (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) in front of her, pushing the lead to 5-0. The home run was an inside-the-park one down the left-field line.
 
TCNJ added an unearned run in the seventh to close out the scoring.
 
Utter finished the game going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Phelan and Fitzsimmons each contributed with two hits.
 
Game 2
The College of New Jersey 7, Rutgers-Newark 2
TCNJ plated five runs in the third inning with Phelan bringing home the first run with a base hit and freshman Jessica Kennick (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) the second with a run-scoring double. Williams then belted a three-run homer to left center increasing the lead to 5-0.
 
After the hosts got a run in the bottom half of the inning, the Lions got the run right back when Fitzsimmons doubled and later scored on an error.
 
TCNJ's final run came in the fifth when Kennick hit her team-leading fourth home run.
 
That run support was more than enough for sophomore Ashtin Helmer (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) as she picked up her fifth win of the season. She tossed a complete game with eight strike outs.
 
Phelan went 3-for-3 in the second game as she finished the two games with five hits in seven official trips to the plate. Williams, Utter, and Fitzsimmons each had two hits apiece.