Newark, NJ… The College of New Jersey softball team got off to a strong start in conference play sweeping Rutgers-Newark Saturday afternoon. The Lions took game one 6-4 in eight innings and took game two 5-2. The Lions are 14-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Scarlet Raiders are 14-5 overall and 0-2 in the NJAC.
 
The Lions fell behind 3-1 in game one before scratching across a run on a Helena Coppola (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth. In the sixth, Kaitlin Kocinski (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) hit a two-out single. Gaby Bennett (Hamilton, NJ/Steinart) followed with an RBI double. Bennett gave the Lions the lead when she stole third and scored on the ensuing throwing error.
 
The Scarlet Raiders tied the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to push the game into extra innings.
 
After a sacrifice bunt moved the placed runner to third base, Coppola delivered an RBI single. Kocinski doubled, bringing home pinch-runner Caroline Muccifori (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) and Eliza Sweet (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) shut the door to earn the win.
 
Game two began as a pitchers dual with Alanna Namit (Mountainside, NJ/Governor Livingston) and Kelly Yusko each progressing through the first four frames scoreless.
 
Namit took matters into her own hands in the top of the fifth leading off the inning with a double. Bennett would hit a sacrifice fly to bring home pinch-runner Francesca Pugliese (Langhorne, PA/Villa Joseph Marie) to give the Lions the lead. Bennett had three hits and a pair of RBIs across the two games.
 
TCNJ extended the lead in the sixth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Jess McGuire (Stockton, NJ/Hunterdon Central Regional) and Kocinski. Aggressive base-running by Bennett and Coppola forced Rutgers-Newark into mistakes that allowed two more runs in the seventh. McGuire extended her hitting streak to 10 games and is hitting .621 over that stretch.
 
Namit ran into some trouble in the bottom of the seventh as a pair of runs scored on a Lions fielding error, but Sweet came in and got two consecutive outs to earn her first career save.
 
The Lions will be back in action Tuesday, April 3 when they travel to Rutgers-Camden for a 3:00 PM double-header start.