Union, NJ… Taking to the road for the first time in conference play, The College of New Jersey softball team had their trip spoiled by host Kean University as the Cougars swept a doubleheader from the Lions on Saturday.
 
Kean won the opening game by the score of 5-2 and then capped things off with a 5-1 victory in the second.
 
The loss dropped TCNJ to 6-16 on the year and 0-6 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while the Cougars moved to 5-1 in league action and 18-4 overall.
 
Head Coach Sally Miller is still one victory shy of her 500^th career win, which would make the veteran skipper the 38^th coach at the Division III level to hit that milestone.
 
The Lions remain on the road for another doubleheader on Tuesday, April 8 when they head to Rutgers-Camden. The opening game of the twin bill starts at 3 p.m.
 
Game 1
Kean University 5, The College of New Jersey 2
The Cougars plated a run in the bottom of the first and that remained the only run of the game until the top of the fifth when the Lions knotted things up.
 
In that inning, senior Kristen Lake (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) drilled a solo home run to center field with two outs to pull TCNJ even. That homer was her team-leading third of the season.
 
Kean came back with two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning and then made it a 5-1 game with two more in the sixth.
 
The Lions made a push in the seventh when sophomore Christine Desiderio (Babylon, NY/Babylon) singled and Lake raced home on a throwing error, but that was the only run the team would get as the hosts came away with the 5-2 win the opener.
 
Desiderio finished going 3-for-4 at the plate for the Lions, while sophomore Deanna Utter (Byram, NJ/Lenape Valley) picked up a pair of hits.
 
Game 2
Kean University 5, The College of New Jersey 1
The Cougars got a complete game from pitcher Rebecca Rotola as she finished with a four-hitter.
 
Kean scored three times in the bottom of the first inning then added two more in the last of the fourth to jump in front 5-0.
 
TCNJ scored its run in the seventh when Utter reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on a wild pitch making the final 5-1.
 
Recording those hits for the Lions were Desiderio, senior Corinne Minicozzi (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne), sophomore Olivia Fahr (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg), and freshman Colleen Phelan (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional).