New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Freshman right-hander ANDREA DELUCREZIA (Belleville, NJ/St. Mary’s-Rutherford) tossed a five-hit shutout, while striking out three, and aided her own cause with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate, as New Jersey City University handed Baruch College its first loss of the season, 7-0, in a non-conference softball game at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. It was the first-ever meeting between the schools in softball.

               

The two teams were scheduled to play a double-header, and Baruch was leading 1-0 in the top of the second inning of game two, when the home plate umpire became ill, forcing the contest to be cancelled. The two schools will attempt to make up the game later this season.

               

With the opening game victory, NJCU (3-6) snaps a five-game losing streak. It was NJCU’s first action in 15 days, as the Gothic Knights were playing their home opener and the initial game of their northern schedule, after last taking the field in Cape Coral, FL on March 9.

               

Baruch falls to 5-1 on the season. The Bearcats had allowed only eight runs in their first five games of the season prior to the loss to NJCU.

               

Delucrezia (3-6) needed just 80 pitches to hold the Bearcats scoreless, while limiting Baruch to three singles, a double and triple. She fanned three and walked none, and faced only 24 batters. Behind her, the Knights played solid defense, and were errorless.

               

VANESSA NICOLICH" src="/images/softball/2006/3/24/03-30-05%20Vanessa%20Nicolich%206.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>At the plate, she was 2-for-3 with a double, run, and RBI. Also for NJCU sophomore catcher VANESSA NICOLICH (Cliffside Park, NJ/St. Mary’s-Rutherford) had a solid effort going 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Freshman rightfielder WILLIZABETH PAGAN (Newark, NJ/Essex County Tech) was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

 

For Baruch, the lone offensive standout was junior pitcher Kathy Maher (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison), who was 2-for-3 with a triple.  On the mound, the right-hander suffered her first loss of the season, falling to 3-1. In 6.0 innings, she allowed four unearned runs (seven total) and 11 hits, fanning three and walking one, over 88 pitches.

               

All of the offense for NJCU came in the middle innings, as the Knights scored three unearned runs in the third, and twice crossed the plate in both the fourth and fifth frames.

               

In the third, Nicolich and Pagan each singled to left field, and each runner moved ahead on a passed ball, before Nicolich scored the eventual winning run on a fielder’s choice. Pagan and sophomore center fielder MELINA VEINTIMILLA (Forked River, NJ/Academy of St. Aloysius), who singled, eventually came around to score when Baruch committed two errors on the same play.

               

In the fourth inning junior third baseman VANESSA SOLARES (Palisades Park, NJ/Palisades Park) led off with a double, moved to third on a single by Delucrezia, and scored on an interference call. Nicolich later singled and scored. In the fifth inning, Delucrezia notched an RBI double, and scored on an RBI single by Nicolich.

               

The Gothic Knights will return to action on Saturday, March 25 at 12 p.m. with a home doubleheader against the College of Staten Island.