UNION, N.J. - The second-seeded TCNJ softball team fell victim to late-game miscues in its matchups against Ramapo and Kean on Day 2 of the NJAC Tournament Saturday night, falling in extras in their opener against the third-seeded Roadrunners before dropping a 10-2 decision to host and fifth-seeded Kean to suffer an early exit from the NJAC Tournament.
 
GAME 1: TCNJ 2, Ramapo 4 (8 inn.)
 
Saturday's first game began as a pitcher's duel between TCNJ's Maya Knasiak and Ramapo's Marissa DiPaolo in which the Roadrunners (30-7, 12-6 NJAC) registered the contest's lone hit through the first three innings before the Lions (23-15, 15-3 NJAC) finally broke open the scoring in the fourth.
 
Stepping to the plate for the second time on the afternoon, Julia Kinnally took one pitch before turning on the next, launching the ball over the center field fence for her sixth homer of the season to give the TCNJ a 1-0 lead. The Lions threatened for more after Sara Vincent hit a single on the ensuing at-bat and made her way to third after a sacrifice bunt and grounder, but a pop up to Ramapo's catcher halted the rally.
 
Knasiak continued to mow down Roadrunner batters in her second NJAC Tournament, holding Ramapo to three hits through the first six innings. That would change with one swing of the bat, however, with Sophia Diaz's second home run of the season tying things at one in the top of the seventh.
 
After a scoreless home half by the Lions sent the game into extras, it was the Roadrunners scoring three runs on Elizabeth Gosse – the junior had entered after the Diaz homer – to jump in front 4-1. Trailing for the first time on the afternoon, TCNJ could muster just one run in a 4-2 defeat – the Lions' first in extra innings since March 15.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Knasiak: 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks
• Kinnally: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI

GAME 2: TCNJ 2, Kean 10 (5 inn.)
 
Facing elimination against the fifth-seeded Cougars (21-21, 10-8 NJAC), it was TCNJ jumping out to a 2-0 lead before giving up a 10-run fifth inning en route to the season-ending, run-rule loss.
 
Kean found itself with the first scoring chance of the night when back-to-back singles put two on with two outs in the first. Keeping her cool in the circle was Knasiak, however, who forced a fly out to right field to keep the Cougars off the board.
 
Two innings later it was the Lions striking first thanks once again to Kinnally. Gianna Vazquez opened the frame with a single, with a perfectly placed bunt by Olivia Santos putting two on with no outs. Kaci Neveling laid down a bunt of her own to move the runners on the ensuing at-bat, setting up Kinnally to hit one up the middle to score the pair and give TCNJ a 2-0 lead.
 
A walk drawn by Yard and single from Vincent would load the bases with one out in what could have been a high-scoring inning, but the next two Lions would go down to limit the damage.
 
Neither side could string together hits over the next two innings, carrying TCNJ's 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth where the wheels unfortunately came off.
 
Two singles and a walk to open the inning loaded the bases and forced a pitching change for the Lions. Now in the circle, Julia Roessler forced a grounder for the first out of the inning, but a wild pitch would open the floodgates for Kean, which would capitalize on four walks and two wild pitches between Roessler and Gosse as well as an untimely error to turn a 2-0 deficit entering the frame into a 10-2, run-rule win to send the Lions home early.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Kinnally: 1-3, 2 RBI

TCNJ concludes its 2025 season with a record of 23-15.