EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ softball team kicked off NJAC play Saturday with a scintillating win over Kean, scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh to steal a 5-4 stunner in Game 1 before the Cougars tied Game 2 in the seventh and held on for a similarly wild 4-3 decision to salvage a split.

It was a shocking way for TCNJ (13-4, 1-1) to extend its winning streak to eight, capitalizing on multiple Cougar errors and coming up with a litany of clutch hits to erase a 4-1 seventh-inning deficit with a four-run outburst seemingly out of nowhere. Julia Mayernik was one of the heroes of the opener, tying the game with a two-out, two-strike knock to set up Julia Kinnally's game-winning base hit just past the reach of the Kean shorstop. 

Game 1 – TCNJ 5, Kean 4
The teams traded single runs in the first. After the Cougars strung multiple two-out hits together, the Lions struck back a two-out rally of their own. With Lauren Conroy on second, Kinnally smoked a line drive toward the gap in right-center. The Kean right fielder had a beat on it, but the ball bounced out of her glove and harmlessly hit the grass, permitting Conroy to cross the plate easily.

Kean loaded the bases with one out in the third, chasing TCNJ starter Gillian Roberts from the game, and went back in front by a 3-1 count on Sarah Zengel's two-run double to left-center. The Lions did manage to throw out the runner from first with a well-executed relay keyed by Jaclyn Carifi in center, however, keeping the Cougars from extending their lead even further.

Mayernik broke up Bella Marino's no-hitter with a bouncer up the middle to open the fourth and went to second on Kinnally's sacrifice. Kayla Hillenbrand lined a 2-2 pitch right back to Marino, who managed to snare it and fire to second to double off Mayernik for an inning-ending double play.

The Cougars stole an extra run on a double-steal in the fifth, and Marino wriggled out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth.

Kean threatened to put it out of reach in the seventh, putting runners on second and third with no outs. But Alexandra DiBenedetto gave the Lions a fighting chance, retiring the next three batters without allowing a run. Conroy came home with a ground ball and TCNJ caught the lead runner in a pickle for the first out before the next hitter lined out to center, and DiBenedetto punctuated the escape act with a swinging strikeout.

Carifi opened the bottom half with an infield single, stretching her hitting streak to 13 games. Mckayla Yard sent a hard grounder to second for a potential double-play ball, but the shortstop dropped the throw from second and both runners were safe. Victoria Aspiazu bounced a base hit up the middle to load the bases, but the center fielder bobbled the ball and allowed Carifi to come home and make it 4-2. Unfortunately, Yard was thrown out at third for the first out.

Pinch-hitter Camry Davies worked a walk to put runners on first and second with only one out, and Neveling loaded the bases with a sharp single up the box. Conroy cut the deficit to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly just shy of the fence in left.

Down to her last strike, Mayernik came through with a huge hit, ripping an RBI single into right-center to plate pinch-runner Alexis Rizzo with the tying run. Kinnally followed with a hard grounder that, perhaps obscured by the Mayernik's feet, kicked off the glove of the Kean shortstop and into center field as Neveling came home with the winning run.

Mayernik was massive, going 3-for-4 with a game-saving RBI as the only Lion to post multiple hits.

DiBenedetto was rewarded for her Houdini act with the first win of her career.

Game 2 – Kean 4, TCNJ 3 (8)
Schlee had a little extra oomph in her pitches in the nightcap, striking out three straight batters after setting down the Cougars' leadoff hitter. After a one-out single in the second, she erased the runner with a double-play ball to Carifi.

Carifi promptly stretched her hitting streak to 14 with a base hit through the drawn-in infield to lead off the second.

The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when Neveling worked a leadoff walk and stole second with two outs for Kinnally, who dropped a base hit into right-center to score the first run.

Paige Metz nearly tied the game in the top of the sixth, but her fly ball to deep left bounced just shy of the wall for a one-out double. Schlee left her stranded, inducing a pop-up for the second out and getting Eliza Filus to line out to Neveling in right for the third.

Three outs from a shutout, Schlee got into trouble with a leadoff walk in the seventh. The next hitter put down a bunt and managed to reach safely on a fielder's choice, and a throwing error allowed the lead runner to go to third. Schlee then hit the next Cougar to load the bases with no outs.

The savior of Game 1, DiBenedetto was called upon again to pull TCNJ out of trouble. This time, she hit the first batter to force in the tying run and re-load the bases, still with no outs. She bore right down, though, with back-to-back strikeouts and somehow kept the game tied by coming back from a 3-0 count to retire Metz on a comebacker to the circle.  

With Yard stepping into the circle, the Cougars got the leadoff runner on via a bunt single, and Filus broke it open with a three-run homer to left.

Hillenbrand led off the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single to make it 4-2. After an out, Yard smoked a line drive over the center fielder's head to move Jaclyn Carifi to third, and Aspiazu sent a seeing-eye single just under the first baseman's glove to cut the lead to 4-3. Down to their last strike again, Neveling grounded out to shortstop to end another potential wild rally.

The Lions head to Stockton for an NJAC twin bill on Tuesday.