New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University senior second baseman KRISTY SKOWRONSKI (Bayonne, NJ/Holy Family Academy) was 3-for-4 with three runs in game one and junior shortstop VANESSA SOLARES (Palisades Park, NJ/Palisades Park) keyed a six-run, fifth-inning rally for the Gothic Knights in game two with a two-run homerun, as NJCU swept a non-conference doubleheader from John Jay College, 11-3 and 9-6, at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. The Knights now lead the all-time series with the Bloodhounds, 21-2, and have won 17 of the last 18 meetings.

               

With the pair of victories NJCU improves to 9-8 on the season and climbs above .500 for the first time since March 6. NJCU has won four straight and six of its last seven games. After winning its first game of the season, John Jay (1-14) has since lost 14 in a row.

 

In game one, NJCU broke open a 3-3 game with five runs in the fourth inning, and added three in the fifth to take an 11-3 lead and enforce the eight-run rule.

               

Skowronski was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while sophomore third baseman MELINA VEINTIMILLA (Forked River, NJ/Academy of St. Aloysius) added two runs in a 2-for-3 showing. Sophomore catcher VANESSA NICOLICH (Cliffside Park, NJ/St. Mary’s-Rutherford) tallied two RBIs in a 1-for-3 showing, while freshman right-hander ANDREA DELUCREZIA (Belleville, NJ/St. Mary’s-Rutherford) scored twice in a 1-for-3, one-RBI offensive effort.

               

JJC was limited to five hits in the opening game. Freshman leftfielder Soely Sanchez (Bronx, NY/Franklin K. Lane) scored two of the Bloodhounds’ three runs in a 1-for-3 showing.

               

Delucrezia earned the win in the opener, as she allowed just one earned run (three total), scattering five singles with four strikeouts and one walk.

 

JJC entered the game without a run in 21 innings while being blanked in four straight games before a throwing error by NJCU ended that streak in the top of the first. NJCU tied the game on a Delucrezia ground ball and later moved ahead 2-1 on one of four JJC errors. The clubs traded single runs over the next inning and a half, and the contest remained even at 3-3 entering the bottom of the fourth.

 

But, in the fourth, NJCU capitalized on two more Bloodhound errors, and collected five runs and five hits. A throwing error allowed the Knights to score the eventual winning runs, and a two-run single by Nicolich increased the margin to 7-3.

 

Leading 8-3, the Knights tacked on three in the bottom of the fifth to close the game. Skowronski led off with a double, stole third, and scored on a fielder’s choice. Senior leftfielder ERIKA CUBILE (Jersey City, NJ/Academy of Saint Aloysius) who reached on that play, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by senior first baseman LISA ASHBURN (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder). The Bloodhounds attempted to nail Delucrezia, who had walked, advancing to third base, but the throw sailed into the dugout, allowing the winning run to cross home plate.

 

Freshman Kevina Ayala (Bronx, NY/Dewitt Clinton) took the loss (0-3), allowing six earned runs (11 total) and nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

 

               

In game two, NJCU committed six errors and fell behind 6-2 after four and a half innings, before scoring six times in the bottom of the fifth and once in the sixth, to claim a 9-6 decision.

               

Ashburn notched three RBIs and finished 2-for-2, while Solares had two RBIs courtesy of her two-run round-tripper. Cubile scored twice in a 2-for-4 showing, and Skowronski added two runs (1-for-2). Delucrezia was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.

 

The Bloodhounds again managed only five hits in the second game. Sanchez was 0-for-2 but scored twice. Senior second baseman Mariela Echavarria (Brooklyn, NY/Fort Hamilton) finished with two RBIs for JJC.

               

NJCU gained a 1-0 lead in the first on an Ashburn sacrifice fly before the Bloodhounds pulled in front 4-1 in the third. After an NJCU error, Ayala tied the game with a fielder’s choice, and Echavarria singled for a 2-1 lead. A double by senior centerfielder Lisa Trojanowski (Wilton, CT/Wilton) made it 3-1, before an alert runner added a run on a throw to second base.

               

Ashburn singled in the bottom of the third to draw the score within two, but JJC tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth on an Echavarria fielder’s choice and another alert base-running play.

               

However, trailing 6-2, the Knights took control of the game in the bottom of the fifth as 14 batters came to the plate. Skowronski singled to left and scored on a throwing error, and Delucrezia added an RBI single. After an RBI single to center by Ashburn tied the game at 6-6, Solares crushed a pitch to centerfield for her fourth career homerun, an 8-6 lead, and the eventual game-winning RBIs. Cubile added a RBI groundout in the sixth for the final 9-6 margin.

               

Delucrezia earned the win in game two to improve to 9-8 overall. She allowed four earned runs and just five hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Ayala surrendered seven earned runs and nine hits with four walks and two K’s.

               

NJCU will play its first New Jersey Athletic Conference game since April 24, 2004, when the Knights open the league schedule on Saturday, April 1 with a 1 p.m. home doubleheader against Richard Stockton College.