EWING, N.J. – After consecutive nail biting extra inning matches, the TCNJ softball team split their weekend doubleheader against SUNY Cortland on Sunday.

Senior Jaclyn Carifi led the Lions (8-6) to their hard-earned win of the day when, with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, the senior would sprint her way to a game-winning infield hit to clinch TCNJ the victory.

GAME ONE (TCNJ 6, Cortland 5)
Fittingly, Carifi drove in the Lions' first run of the day in the bottom of the first when she sent fellow senior Kaci Neveling home from third on a single to second base. Neveling had led off with a single of her own that traveled to right center before quickly stealing both second and third base.

The Red Dragons (7-1) tied the game in the top of the third after three consecutive singles with two outs. 

The Lions retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out single to left centerfield from freshman Reina Jeronimo to drive in Julia Mayernik. The score gave TCNJ a 2-1 edge.

An inning later, sophomore Mckayla Yard doubled the Lions' runs when she blasted a ball way past the left field fence for her second homerun of the season and the first homer at Dr. June Walker Field this season. Yard's bomb also drove in freshman Camryn Kitchin, who had hit a crucial two-out single the at-bat before.

However, TCNJ's three-run advantage quickly shrunk to a lone run in the top of the sixth after a Red Dragon single drove in two baserunners from second and third with one out.

Cortland's comeback bid didn't end there, as the visitors would tie the game on a massive two-out single to left field from Tori Reich to score the tying run from second.

In extra innings, with the international tie breaker rule in place, the Red Dragons would score Brooke Schiebe from second on a dropping single to left field that was aided by a fielding error. The run would give Cortland their first lead of the day, 5-4.

Facing adversity, the Lions would show comeback magic of their own in the bottom of the eighth. With Yard placed on second to start the inning, Mayernik would single up the middle to put runners on the corners. With one out, senior Alexis Rizzo would load the bases after reaching first base on an initial sacrifice bunt attempt. Jeronimo tied the game a batter later when she sprinted to an infield single to keep the bases loaded.

Two batters later, with two outs, Carifi would give TCNJ the victory with the game winning infield single.

Coming in relief, senior Gillian Roberts picked up her first win of the season after pitching the last 1.2 innings of the game.

GAME TWO (Cortland 8, TCNJ 7)
The second game of the day followed a similar trend, with the Lions sprinting to an early lead in the third by scoring three runs. Neveling drove in the game's first run on a single through the left side to score Rizzo from third. Carifi would follow up by driving in Jeronimo from third on a groundout to the shortstop. Junior Julia Kinnally would then send Neveling home on her own single through the left side, making it 3-0 Lions.

Cortland stormed back in the top of the fifth by taking the lead with a four run half-inning. Like late in game one, their crucial runs all came with two outs.

Kinnally helped the Lions tie up the game in the bottom of the inning with a crucial two-out hit of her own. With Neveling on second, the junior would drive a ball down center field for a double, tying the game at four apiece.

The seventh-inning was a nail-biting one that saw the Red Dragons go up by two after a one-out single up the middle, putting TCNJ down 6-4.

However, with their backs once again against the wall late, the Lions would see consecutive two-out doubles from Kinnally and Kitchin to tie the game. The first double from Kinnally drove in Jeronimo from second, before herself was driven in a batter later.

Cortland would once again go up by two runs in the top of the eighth. The first runner scored on a wild pitch that escaped Mayernik at the plate, followed by a groundout RBI that scored the second runner from third base.

In the bottom of the inning, the Lions nearly found themselves making another successful comeback bid. With Yard placed on second to start, a Camryn Davies single to right field put runners at the plate with one out. Coming in as the pinch hitter for Rizzo, Rachel Alecci would score Yard after reaching on a fielding error from the Cortland shortstop. The run cut the Lions deficit to a lone run and with two runners on base.

Also coming in as a pinch hitter, freshman Julia Guerriero would load the bases on an infield single to third base. With one out and the top of the inning following, the Lions were primed for a second magical moment of the day. However, Neveling would record the second out when she hit into a fielder's choice that saw a force out at home.

In an eerily similar two out bases loaded situation, Carifi once again had the chance to play hero, and nearly did. On a 2-2 count, the senior would slap an infield hit ball towards the pitcher, however she was thrown out at the plate by a half step.

UP NEXT
The Lions will wrap up their early season homestand with a matchup against visiting Arcadia. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled at 2:30 p.m.