New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE: GAME 1 | GAME 2

CAMDEN, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior right-hander ASHLEY O'BEIRNE (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Immaculate Conception) threw a seven-hitter in game one, allowing just one run and senior righty JESS MUCERINO (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park) gave up just five hits and two earned runs in the nightcap and Rutgers University-Camden only scored in two of 14 innings, yet still managed to sweep a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader from New Jersey City University on Saturday, winning 1-0 and 4-2, at Rutgers-Camden Community Park.
 
NJCU (11-19, 2-8 NJAC), could only score two first-inning runs in game two to prevent being shutout in both games as Camden (10-13, 3-7 NJAC) won its ninth and 10^th games of the season and leads the all-time series, 33-2. R-C snapped a six-game losing streak.
 
NJCU had just 11 hits on the day and more than a third came from junior first baseman REBECCA SATZ (Morris Plains, NJ/Morristown). She was 2-for-3 in game one and 2-for-4 with a run and RBI in the nightcap, finishing 4-for-7 to increase her 30-game average to .480—one one-hundredth of a point out of the conference lead. Her 49 hits are eight more than anyone else in the league and Satz has now only struck out twice in 108 plate appearances this year. She leads the NJAC with 22 extra base hits. Satz also elevated her career batting average to .410—now second in program history—with 145 career hits. In a true pitcher's duel, R-C scored one run in the opening inning and made it hold up as the Scarlet Raptors took  game one, 1-0.  Senior righty Amanda Cassella (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) earned the win (5-7), tossing a complete-game five-hit shutout with four strikeouts and three walks. O'Beirne suffered the hard-luck loss (6-12), scattering seven hits, including five singles against one run in six innings.
 
Satz had two of NJCU's five hits, while Mucerino, the designated player in the opener, along with senior center fielder STEPHANIE GOMEZ (South Plainfield, NJ/Belleville) and sophomore second baseman JANISSA CARDONA (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) each had one hit.
 
Camden was led by Casella who aided her own cause by going 2-for-3, knocking in the only run of the game. After a leadoff bunt by senior center fielder Lauren Hatzelhoffer (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), who was 1-for-3 with a run, she was sacrificed to second by senior right fielder Vicki D'Anduono (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) and scored on a two-out RBI single to center by Cassella.
 
Meanwhile, R-C senior catcher Erika Drayton (Blackwood, NJ/Triton Regional) became the 11^th player in that program's history to record her 100^th career hit during the opening game.


NJCU stranded two runners on base in the first inning and after Mucerino doubled with two outs in the third, the Knights were unable to drive her in. 
 
NJCU would have limited scoring opportunities throughout the rest of the game. In the top of the sixth, NJCU saw their best chance remaining chance to get on the scoreboard as Satz reached on a one-out single to center field. Gomez singled to center with two outs before a groundout again stranded two runners. In the top of the seventh, Cardona would single to right field to give the Gothic Knights a bit of hope before the Scarlet Raptors would retire the final two batters to end the game and preserve the one-run decision.  In the nightcap, NJCU scored twice in the first inning before the Scarlet Raptors scored four runs in the fourth, aided by an error on what should have been an inning-ending force play, and held on for the two-run win in a game where the Knights outhit the hosts, 6-5.       
 
Junior righty Ashleigh Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown Regional) threw 7.0 innings, as she picked up her fourth win of the season (4-6), allowing just two runs and six hits, with three strikeouts and one walk. Mucerino took the loss  (5-7) allowing two earned runs (four total) while scattering five hits. She struck out two and did not walk a batter.
 
Satz led NJCU with a RBI, a run scored and a triple in 2-for-4 effort. Senior shortstop MEGAN GINTER (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) was 1-for-4 with a run scored. Sophomore catcher MARISSA BARISO (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) was 1-for-3 with a RBI.         
 
Junior Jackie Leafey (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester) added two RBIs for Camden in a pinch-hitting role while junior designated player Brittany Sullivan (West Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and junior second baseman Courtney Ray (Gloucester City, NJ/Miami Palmetto) each added a RBI and run. Junior shortstop Kaitlyn Gaskill (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial) and Casella scored the other runs for Camden in game two.               
 
The Gothic Knights struck first in the game as Satz belted her second triple of the year to right center and scored Ginter, who led off with a single. Bariso followed with a single to center that scored Satz for a 2-0 advantage. But Johnson shut down NJCU the rest of the way, limiting the Knights to just three hits in the final six innings.
 
Camden was no-hit through three innings, but in the fourth inning, the Scarlet Raptors finally cashed in as they scored four runs on four hits. Gaskill had a one-out bloop single and moved to third on a double by Cassella before Sullivan singled to right to bring in the first run. Ray followed when she reached on a fielder's choice to score Cassella. On the next sequence, NJCU should have gotten out of the inning, even at 2-2, when a ground ball to short was fielded cleanly by Ginter and flipped to third. But rookie third baseman NICOLE CALIXTO (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) dropped the force play and R-C took advantage as Leafey sent a pinch-hit single through the left side to score Ray and Sullivan to give Camden the 4-2 lead and the eventual winning runs.
 
R-C tried to give it back to NJCU in the sixth when Satz and Bariso reached on back-to-back fielding errors and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice, before Johnson got out of trouble with an infield popup and a line drive.
 
Both teams return to action on Tuesday, April 17 for 3 p.m. doubleheaders. NJCU will host Ramapo College at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.