New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE: GAME 1 | GAME 2
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
SENIOR DAY and ALUMKNIGHTS PHOTO GALLERY

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rowan University, ranked No. 17 in Division III, received a no-hitter from junior right-hander LeAnne Miller (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) in game one and scored 11 runs in both ends of a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader, sweeping host New Jersey City University, 11-0 (five innings) and 11-1 (five innings) on Saturday at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
Rowan, ranked 17^th by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), improves to 32-7 overall and 12-6 in the NJAC and with 24 points, finishes the regular season tied with both The College of New Jersey and William Paterson University, and is third in the upcoming NJAC Tournament after conference tiebreakers are applied. NJCU's 32^nd season of softball ends with a 12-27 record and 2-16 in the NJAC. Rowan leads the all-time series, 28-0.
 
Between games of the doubleheader, NJCU honored its 2012 senior class of First-Team All-NJAC shortstop MEGAN GINTER (Nutley, NJ/Nutley), center fielder STEPHANIE GOMEZ (South Plainfield, NJ/Belleville) and right-handed pitcher/first baseman/outfielder JESS MUCERINO (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park).
 
In game two, Ginter accounted for NJCU's only run with a solo homerun to right center. Her fourth homerun of the season and seventh of her career, she finished tied for third place in school history with 160 hits, matching Sharyn Hunchak's total from 1995-98. She scored the 128^th run of her career.
 
Senior right fielder Lauren Davis (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) finished the doubleheader a combined 4-for-4 with five runs and three RBIs. Senior third baseman Julie Leskanic (West Milford, NJ/West Milford) was 4-for-6 with three runs.
  Miller struck out five and did not walk or hit a batter in 5.0 innings, facing one batter over the minimum (16) while tossing the no-hitter. It was the first no-hitter thrown against NJCU since March 26, 2010 and the second ever thrown by Rowan. Sara Dickey had the other no-hitter on April 10, 2004. Miller improved to 16-1 with the win.
 
Offensively for Rowan, senior catcher Nicolina Veneziano (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield), the reigning NJAC co-Player of the Year, was 1-for-1 with four RBIs, three walks and two runs, belting a grand slam to highlight a nine-run third inning when Rowan brought 12 batters came to the plate.
 
Davis was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two doubles and junior first baseman Stephanie Labas (Millville, NJ/Millville) had two RBIs. Junior second baseman Nicole Escudero (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) was 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and a double and Leskanic was 2-for-3 with one run.
 
Junior righty ASHLEY O'BEIRNE (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Immaculate Conception) took the loss (7-16), allowing three hits and four runs against two walks in 2.1 innings. Mucerino tossed the final two and two-thirds, allowing seven runs and six hits with four walks and one strikeout.
 
Ginter was NJCU's only runner of the game when she beat out a throw from shortstop after an error to lead off the second inning.
 
 
The Profs added two runs in the fifth as two walks sandwiched around a Davis doubled loaded the bases with one out. Sophomore left fielder Jennifer Arcella (Hillsdale, NJ/Pascack Valley) singled to drive in the 10^th run before Labas knocked in the final marker on a fielder's choice. In the bottom of the fifth, Miller completed the no-hitter with a pop-up, groundout and foul out to third. Leading 5-1 after three innings, Rowan enforced the eight-run rule with six runs in the top of the fifth inning behind another solid pitching performance.
 
Trotter tossed a three-hitter for Rowan, allowing one run with six strikeouts and one walk to improve to 3-0. O'Beirne (7-17) only allowed four earned runs (11 total) against nine hits with three strikeouts and six walks in 5.0 innings.
 
Offensively, Rowan had nine hits, led by Davis who was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs. Labas was 1-for-4 with a three-RBI double. Leskanic went 2-for-3 with two runs. Arcella added two RBIs and one run and sophomore shortstop Kristi Twardziak (Somerdale, NJ/Triton Regional) scored twice.
 
Ginter, sophomore designated player MARISSA BARISO (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) and rookie catcher NICOLE CALIXTO (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) each had a hit.  In addition to her homerun in the third inning, Ginter reached on an error and stole her 29^th base of the season and school-record 98^th of her career.
 
Rowan jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Leskanic led off with a double before advancing to third on a one-out dropped fly. Ginter made a diving catch to thwart Escudero for the second out. But Davis kept the inning going with an infield single to drive in the first run. A two-run single to right by Arcella made it 3-0.
 
Rowan added two runs in the third inning. After a leadoff walk, Ginter made another fine defensive play, diving to stop a ground ball by Leskanic before throwing her out. But Twardziak followed with an RBI single before she scored on a wild pitch for a 5-0 lead. Ginter put NJCU on the board with a one-out solo shot over the right field fence.
 
After a scoreless fourth inning, Rowan tacked on six runs in the top of the fifth to make the margin 10. After an error, Escudero drew a bases loaded one-out walk before Davis produced a two-run single and Veneziano followed with a base hit for an 8-1 differential. Later, with the bases full again, Rowan tacked on three unearned runs as Labas doubled to right center for three RBIs as she cleared the bases for the final offense.
 
In the final at bats of the season, Ginter was hit by a pitch with two outs and Mucerino walked before the game ended on a ground ball.