Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

The College of New Jersey Athletics

Official Home of TCNJ Athletics
The College of New Jersey Athletics logo - link to home
Knasiak
Derick Zelaya-Rainho
0
TCNJ TCNJ 26-10
1
Winner Rowan ROW 32-7
TCNJ TCNJ
26-10
0
Final
1
Rowan ROW
32-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 R H E
TCNJ TCNJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
Rowan ROW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 1

W: Emily McCutcheon (19-1) L: Knasiak, Maya (10-3)

Game Recap: Softball | | Eric Yang

Softball Walked Off by Profs in 20 Inning NJAC Second Round Thriller

GLASSBORO, N.J. – In a seemingly never-ending game that nearly tied history, the TCNJ Softball team fell just short after a gutsy 20 Inning pitcher's duel ended with top-seeded Rowan walking things off, 1-0, in the bottom of the 20th to conclude the Second Round of the NJAC Tournament on Monday afternoon.

With the game time ballooning to just shy of five hours, the two teams nearly tied the longest single game Division III Softball record of 21 innings play, set by SUNY Cortland and Lemoyne in the 1992 season.

The Lions (26-10) were led by a special combined performance in the circle from Elizabeth Gosse and Maya Knasiak, as the pair of young aces combined for exactly 300 pitches in 19.2 innings while allowing just six hits and striking out 12 Profs batters. Gosse started the game with a scoreless 5.2 innings that saw her strike out three, before Knasiak took over in relief and went the final 14 innings in 226 pitches while striking out nine batters.

On the opposing side of the pitching duel, Rowan's Emily McCutcheon set the Division III single game record for innings pitched by a pitcher after going 20 complete innings in 230 pitches. She broke the previous record of 19 that was set in 2017 by a Messiah pitcher.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Lions nearly got on the board in the opening moments of the game, as graduate student Kaci Neveling led off the top of the first with a leadoff double to right centerfield, before stealing third with one out. However, in what would become the trend in the rest of the game on both sides, TCNJ failed to drive her home.
  • Rowan put two runners on in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of outs, but their scoring chances were cut down by Knasiak, who forced a fly out to left field for the final out.
  • In the bottom of the seventh, once again with two on and two outs and the count full, Knasiak delivered with a huge swing and miss to send the game into extra innings.
  • The Lions bats followed by immediately loading the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth. Freshman Sara Vincent got on base first with a one-out single, before a Neveling walk and Mckayla Yard hit-by-pitch loaded things up, however the road team was unable to capitalize with the go-ahead run after an unintentional inning-ending check swing pop up.
  • TCNJ threatened an inning later after senior Julia Kinnally advanced up to third base with two outs, but the scoring chance ended on a pop up to second base.
  • In the bottom of the 11th, the Lions saved a potential game winning play on a deep fly ball that saw two perfect relay throws cut down Rowan's runner tagging home right at the plate to send the game into the 12th. Freshman Sara Vincent made the catch in right field, before tossing the ball to sophomore Gianna Vazquez at second who made a perfect relay to Julia Mayernik at the plate.
  • Both sides hit into inning-ending double plays in the following innings, killing potential go-ahead or game winning hits and ultimately sending the match into the 20th inning.
  • In the bottom of the 20th, Rowan quickly got a pair of runners on base with just one out to threaten Knasiak and the TCNJ defense. After the freshman pitcher responded by getting a huge second out, however, the Profs walked things off with a single right up the middle to score the lone run of the match and win the game.  
STANDOUT LIONS
  • Knasiak's 14 innings pitched marks the first time a TCNJ pitcher has reached double digits in a single game since Ashtin Helmer pitched 10 innings against Alvernia in 2014. Her innings total is also the second most pitched in a single game this season by a pitcher in Division III, behind only McCutcheon.
  • Neveling reached base five times, recording one double and four walks.
  • Kinnally and Vincent each finished with three hit performances on the day.
TCNJ TEAM BREAKDOWN
  • TCNJ finished with 11 hits (three doubles) and five walks as a team, while also being hit-by-pitch three times.
UP NEXT
Now facing elimination, the Lions look to keep their tournament run alive by playing the winner of tomorrow's Stockton and Ramapo elimination game. First pitch is set for 4 PM.
 
 
 
 
 
Print Friendly Version
The College of New Jersey Athletics loading logo