Salisbury, MD… The College New Jersey softball team finally stepped onto the diamond on Sunday for its season opener the Lions made the most of that opportunity as they defeated SUNY Cortland 5-1.
 
TCNJ then took on second-ranked Salisbury University, who hosted both games, and fell to the Sea Gulls in five innings, 12-1.
 
The Lions (1-1) are off this week as they prepare for the annual spring trip to Florida to play eight games over spring break.
 
TCNJ 5, SUNY Cortland 1
Junior pitcher Ashtin Helmer (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) went the distance for the Lions as she allowed only the one run on four hits. She also struck out three and received plenty of support from her defense as the Lions played error-free ball against the Red Dragons.
 
TCNJ opened the scoring in the top of the third inning as they scored three times. Junior Steph Vuono (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) accounted for the first two as she doubled in junior Christine Desiderio (Babylon, NY/Babylon) and freshman Madison Levine (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills). Vouno came home two batters later to make it 3-0 as freshman Bria Bartsch (Montville, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic Academy) doubled to right.
 
Cortland got one run in the last of the sixth, but the Lions came right back with two in the top of the seventh. Junior Jamie Purcell (Nutley/Mt. St. Dominic Academy) plated Desiderio with a base hit and Bartsch later singled through the left side to score Vouno.
 
TCNJ had three players with two hits apiece, led by Vuono. Vuono went 2-for-3 in addition to driving in two runs and scoring twice. Bartsch and Levine both had a successful collegiate debut as they each had two hits.
 
#2 Salisbury University 12, TCNJ 1 (5 innings)
The Sea Gulls got the jump on the Lions scoring six times in the bottom of the first inning and then added another in the second. Of those seven runs, only three were earned.
 
The Lions came within 60 feet of scoring in the second when Bartsch walked with nobody out and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by junior Deanna Utter (Byram, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional). Bartsch then swiped third, but the Sea Gulls were able to retire the next two batters and get out of the inning.
 
Salisbury pitcher Annah Brittingham lost the shutout and her no-hit bid in the top of the fifth when sophomore Colleen Phelan (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) singled home pinch runner Morgan Gualtieri (Nutley, NJ/Nutley).