Galloway, NJ… The College of New Jersey softball team needed extra innings twice on Tuesday afternoon against Stockton University, dropping the opening game 2-1 in eight innings, before playing to a 5-5 tie in eight innings in game two. The Lions record now stands at 11-14-1, 3-8-1 NJAC, while the Ospreys record moves to 16-13-1, 6-5-1 NJAC.
As usual for the Lions this season, game one was a pitcher's duel. Junior pitcher
Sam Platt (Cedar Grove, NJ / Mount Saint Domonic Academy) allowed just a single run through seven regulation innings. Carli Shaw led off the bottom of the first with a single. After being sacrificed to second and advancing to third on a fly out, Shaw scored on a two-out single by Holly Arentowicz.
The Lions responded in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Jess Santelli (Hillsborough, NJ / Hillsborough) led off the inning with a double down the left field line.
Gaby Bennett (Hamilton, NJ / Steinert) delivered a two-out double down the right field line to tie the game.
In the eighth inning, the Lions advanced runners to second and third with no one out, but the Ospreys induced a fielder's choice, recorded a strike out, and forced a fly out to get out of the jam. In the bottom half of the inning, the Ospreys took advantage of an error to score the game winning run.
Freshman
Megan Mayernik (Columbus, NJ / Northern Burlington) compiled three hits in the opener.
Game two began much like the first, with the Ospreys scoring in the opening frame. Following the Stockton run, Platt came on in relief. Platt got out of a bases loaded jam using a fielder's choice.
In the top of the fourth Stockton chose to take the guaranteed out with runners on first and third, picking off the runner on first and allowing Bennett to score from third on the play. Alexandra Cosenzo gave the Ospreys the lead again on a two-out double in the bottom of the fourth.
With runners on first and second in the top of the fifth, the Lions executed a double steal. When the throw was errant, pinch-runner
Francesca Pugliese (Langhorne, PA / Villa Joseph Marie) scored on the play.
The game remained tied into extra innings, when
Annalise Suitovsky (Warren Twp., NJ / Watchung Hills) led off the top of the eighth with an RBI single. Bennett added another RBI with a single that scored Suitovsky two batters later.
Jess McGuire (Stockton, NJ / Hunterdon Central Regional) tacked on a third RBI single in the inning to extend the lead to 5-2.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Ospreys got a run back on an RBI groundout. With two outs the Ospreys got back-to-back RBI singles from Cosenzo and Holly Artenowicz to tie the game. Platt then got a strikeout to end the inning and the game was called due to darkness.
Bennett had three hits in the second game and Santelli had three hits across the two games.
The Lions are back in action Saturday, April 22 at 1:00 pm against Kean University for Senior Day, where the team's two graduating seniors will be honored. In addition, the 1987 championship team will be honored as part of the day's festivities.
