EWING, N.J. - The TCNJ softball team went to extras twice in its doubleheader against 23rd-ranked Rowan Tuesday afternoon, dropping Game 1, 3-0 before the Lions suffered their first sweep of the season with a 4-3, Game 2 loss.
 
GAME 1: TCNJ 0, Rowan 3 (8 inn.)
 
Saturday's opener set the tone for a day driven by defense and pitching, with neither side scoring a run through the first seven innings before the Profs (20-7, 6-2 NJAC) plated three in the eighth to take Game 1.
 
Maya Knasiak nearly went the distance once again for the Lions (17-9, 6-2 NJAC), but saw her streak of consecutive shutout innings come to a halt at 60.0 – the second-longest streak in conference history – when a two-run shot to lead off the eighth decided the game.
 
Hits were few and far between in the duel between Knasiak and Rowan's BethAnne Doderer. The Profs created the best chance of the afternoon in the fourth inning when an untimely error put two in scoring position with just one out, but it was Knasiak forcing a grounder and popup to get out of the frame unscathed.
 
Rowan threatened again in the fifth when a single would have put two on with one out, but it was Morgan Estelow hosing the Profs' runner trying to get to third before a flyout once again ended the inning.
 
Knasiak made quick work of Rowan in the top of the seventh, and led off the home half with a double down the left field line to put TCNJ in prime position to walk the game off. Julia Wallace – who entered as a pinch runner for the junior – wouldn't move another base, though, with the Lions' next three batters going down in order to send Game 1 to extras. Instead it was the Profs capitalizing on a Maggie Funston home run and TCNJ error to score three in the top of the eighth before Doderer retired the side to hand the Lions the 3-0 loss.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Knasiak (11-2): 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 2B

GAME 2: TCNJ 3, Rowan 4
 
TCNJ struggles at the plate continued for the first five innings of Tuesday's rematch before a late rally forced extras for the second time in as many games. The Lions fell short once again, however, with Rowan's lone run in the top of the eighth serving as the winner in a 4-3 loss.
 
Profs runs in the first, third and fifth innings gave Rowan a 3-0 lead that seemed safe in the hands of senior Emily McCutcheon, but it was TCNJ scoring three unanswered in the final two frames to send the game to a decisive eighth.
 
Olivia Santos took advantage of an errant throw by the Profs' second baseman to get on from the leadoff spot. Morgan Estelow laid down a bunt on the ensuing at-bat to move the senior before Gianna Vazquez hit a single to right center that put runners on the corners. Another error on a Knasiak grounder scored Santos for the Lions' first run of the afternoon, with Emily Evans hitting a hard-hit ball back up the middle to score Wallace – once again used as a pinch runner – to trim the deficit to one before the inning finally came to a close.
 
Sairah Llano retired the side in the seventh inning thanks largely to a pair of stellar defensive plays from Camryn Kitchin with the senior then riding the momentum of her defensive plays to a single to lead things off in the seventh. Jessica Sclafani entered as a pinch runner and quickly worked her way to third following a Brooke Hamaty sac bunt and Taylor Menzel blooper to left.
 
Next up was Estelow, who once again took advantage of a Rowan miscue to reach first and score Sclafani, knotting the score at 3-3. A groundout moved both runners into scoring position with Knasiak at the plate with a chance to walk the game off, but the junior could only muster a dribbler to second that ended the inning.
 
A wild pitch scored the Profs' Zoey Rogers in the top-half of the inning before TCNJ's day came to a screeching halt on a heartbreaking double play that sealed the 4-3 defeat.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Llano (3-1): 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 1K
• Evans: 1-3, 1 RBI

UP NEXT

• The Lions kick off a four-game road trip Saturday, April 11 with a doubleheader against Ramapo. First pitch of the twin bill is set for 1 p.m.