MAHWAH, N.J. – The TCNJ softball team bowed out of the 2024 NJAC Tournament following a 5-0 elimination game defeat against second-seeded Ramapo on Tuesday afternoon. Despite being on the road, the blue and gold played the match as the home team by batting in the bottom half of each inning.

The Lions (26-11) began the game mirroring yesterday's near-historic 20 Inning NJAC Second Round battle against Rowan, with sophomore Elizabeth Gosse battling the Roadrunners' (30-9) Marissa DiPaolo through a scoreless first four innings. Gosse conceded just three hits in the stretch, while DiPaolo allowed her lone hit of the match in the first inning.

However, the game began to shift towards Ramapo in the latter three innings, with the Roadrunner bats driving home five unanswered runs to eliminate the Lions.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With two on, two outs in the top of the first, Gosse forced a big groundout to Julia Kinnally at Shortstop to end Ramapo's scoring threat.
• In the bottom half of the inning, Kinnally recorded TCNJ's lone hit on a two-out single to left field, before advancing to scoring position on second on a wild pitch. However, she was stranded on a groundout to third base.
• After allowing a Ramapo leadoff double in the top of the second, Gosse responded by cruising through the second and third innings after recording six straight outs.
• TCNJ created another runner in scoring position in the bottom of the third after sophomore Gianna Vazquez reached on a Ramapo throwing error before then advancing to second on a Kaci Neveling sacrifice bunt.
• In the top of the fourth, Gosse and the Lions defense once again navigated through a tense situation after the bases were loaded up with zero outs. On a ball hit towards her, Mckayla Yard made a stellar unassisted double play at third in which she stepped on the bag before throwing out a Roadrunner at home plate. Gosse secured the final out on a groundout to Yard.
• Ramapo finally broke through in the fifth on a devastating three-run homer to left field with two outs on the board.
• The Roadrunners tacked on a fourth run in the sixth on another home run to left field, before scoring their fifth run in the seventh on an RBI single down the left field line.

UP NEXT
The Lions now await the NCAA Division III Softball Selection Show next Monday for a potential at-large bid to compete in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.