EWING, N.J. - The TCNJ softball team found itself in familiar territory in its doubleheader against Ramapo Saturday afternoon, riding a pair of near-perfect outings in the circle from Maya Knasiak and Elizabeth Gosse en route to a sweep of the Roadrunners.
 
GAME 1: TCNJ 2, Ramapo 0
 
Knasiak was back to her old ways after the junior saw her streak of shutout innings end at 60 earlier this week, tossing seven scoreless frames while adding an RBI at the plate to lift the Lions (19-9, 8-2 NJAC) to a 2-0, Game 1 win – Ramapo's first conference loss of the season.
 
TCNJ threatened early after Knasiak and Grace Brouillard hit back-to-back singles in the first, but a Morgan Leonhauser flyout saw the Lions saw their two-out rally come up empty
 
Moving into the circle, Knasiak would allow no more than a lone baserunner through each of the first three innings before retiring the side in the fourth, setting TCNJ up to take the lead for good in the fifth.
 
The Lions' rally once again started with two outs, but this time it was Olivia Santos launching a shot to the gap in left center for her first double of the season. On the ensuing at-bat, Gianna Vazquez took one pitch before sending the ball back up the middle, with Santos' speed allowing the senior to score from second to give TCNJ a 1-0 lead.
 
One inning later it was Knasiak helping herself with her third home run of the season, hitting a ball that carried just over the fence in right center to double the Lions' lead. Brouillard stayed hot with a double of her own on TCNJ's next at-bat, but the Lions' next three batters went down to keep the lead at two.
 
Thankfully for TCNJ, a two-run lead is safe more often than not in the hands of Knasiak, who would retire the side in the sixth before allowing a lone hit in the seventh en route to her 10th complete-game shutout of the season.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Knasiak (12-2): CG, 0 R, 2 hits allowed, 7 Ks, 2-3, 1 HR
• Vazquez: 2-4, 1 RBI
• Brouillard: 2-4, 1 2B

GAME 2: TCNJ 3, Ramapo 1
 
It was Gosse's turn to impress in the circle in Game 2, allowing one run on five hits in her fourth complete-game of the season.
 
The Lions wasted no time getting on the board in Saturday's rematch, capitalizing on a pair of Roadrunner miscues to plate two in the first.
 
Vazquez was nearly retired in the leadoff spot, but reached safely after her third called strike got past Ramapo's catcher. Another error on the next at-bat – a grounder to short off the bat of Santos – put runners on the corners, setting up Brouillard to hit an RBI single through the left side to open the scoring. A sacrificial steal on the part of Brouillard allowed Santos to steal home to double the lead before the inning finally came to a close for TCNJ.
 
After giving up a leadoff walk in the home half of the first, Gosse retired the next 10 batters she faced to keep the Lions in control. It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Roadrunners were able to break through on an RBI grounder from Clay'le Correa-Vanness to cut the TCNJ's lead back to one. There with the response in the next half-inning, however, was Emily Evans, who hit her second double of the game to score Morgan Leonhauser and put the Lions back up 3-1.
 
A heads-up play by Emily Gill behind the dish got TCNJ out of the sixth inning before Gosse returned to retire the side in the seventh to seal the win and series sweep.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Gosse (4-3): CG, 1 ER, 2 Ks
• Evans: 2-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI

UP NEXT

• The Lions wrap up their road trip Tuesday, April 14 with a doubleheader against 15th-ranked Stockton. First pitch of the twin bill is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.