WAYNE, N.J. – The TCNJ softball team kept pace in the race for the top spot in the NJAC Championship Tournament with a pair of tight wins in a conference sweep at William Paterson on Saturday.
Lauren Conroy finished with five hits for the afternoon for the Lions (20-5, 8-2), who got another strong performance in the circle from
Ally Schlee in a 3-1 Game 1 decision before staving off a late Pioneers rally to hang on and take Game 2 by a 5-3 count.
Game 1: TCNJ 3, William Paterson 1
Offense was few and far between in the opener, when TCNJ stranded the bases loaded in the first and didn't break the ice until Conroy's RBI double plated
Julia Kinnally with the game's first run in the top of the fourth.
Kayla Hillenbrand manufactured a second run in the sixth, leading off with a single before going to second on Kinnally's sac bunt and moving up to third on a wild pitch to facilitate a sacrifice fly by
Jaclyn Carifi.
The Pioneers (12-13, 3-7) answered with a solo homer in the bottom half, however, to cut the Lions lead to 2-1.
The visitors tacked on an insurance run in the seventh as
Lindsay Zengel beat out an infield single and stole second, then went to third on a groundout by
Kaci Neveling. Two batters later, she dashed home on a nice bunt by
Julia Mayernik.
The insurance tally proved unnecessary for Schlee, who ran her record to 9-0 with another complete-game gem. The junior scattered five hits and did not walk a batter, striking out one.
Conroy was the only Lion with multiple hits, finishing 3-for-3 at the dish.
Game 2: TCNJ 5, William Paterson 3
The Pioneers struck first in Game 2, scoring the opening run on a hit batsman with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second.
TCNJ came roaring right back with two runs in the third as
Camryn Davies scored Neveling with an RBI single and ultimately came around on a wild pitch to put the blue and gold in front to stay.
The Lions added another run on an RBI infield single by Conroy in the fourth to make it 3-1, and the score stayed there until a wild seventh broke out as both teams scored twice.
TCNJ appeared to put the game out of reach with a pair of markers in its final at-bat, helped along by an error and a wild pitch that put runners on second and third for Carifi, who brought them both home with a double to left.
William Paterson made things interesting in the last half of the seventh, getting to within 5-2 and loading the bases with only one out.
Marina Costello came in and shut the door, conceding a sacrifice fly and getting a groundout to Kinnally at shortstop for the last out with the tying run on second.
Carifi finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Conroy joined her with a 2-for-4 effort to lead the offense.
Rookie
Julia Roessler turned in a terrific relief outing, going four innings and allowing just one hit. She was charged with both runs in the seventh, but struck out four and earned the win.
Costello's save was her second of the season.
The Lions welcome Rutgers-Camden to Dr. June Walker Field for an NJAC twin bill on Tuesday.
