New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE: Game 1 | Game 2
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete, THALIA GARCIA

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University was two outs away from becoming the first team to defeat Rutgers University-Camden in softball in nearly a month before the Scarlet Raptors scored five runs with one out to overcome a 1-0 Gothic Knight lead en route to a 5-1 victory in game two of a New Jersey Athletic Conference opening doubleheader on March 30 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. In game one, Camden scored five runs in the first three innings and maintained a one-run lead for the final four frames, defeating NJCU in the opener, 5-4.
 
Rutgers-Camden (16-3, 2-0 NJAC) won its 12^th and 13^th straight games and leads the all-times series, 35-22. NJCU, playing its fourth and fifth games without two-time First-Team All-NJAC third baseman REBECCA SATZ (Morris Plains, NJ/Morristown), saw its four-game win streak snapped as it fell to 9-8 and 0-2 in conference play.
 
In defeat, rookie right fielder THALIA GARCIA (Ridgefield, NJ/North Bergen) was 3-for-4 with an RBI and run in game one and senior shortstop GABRIELLE RIVERA (Teaneck, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) drove in two runs on the day.
  In game one, R-C scored three runs in the opening inning and single runs in the second and third frames before withstanding four runs by the Gothic Knights in the bottom of the third. NJCU was limited to three hits in the final three innings. The Knights had the tying and go-ahead run on base in the bottom of the seventh but failed to score.
 
For RUC, senior righty Ashleigh Johnson (Bordentown, NJ) improved to 9-1 on a day, she won despite allowing four earned runs and eight hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
 
Senior righty ASHLEY O'BEIRNE (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Immaculate Conception) suffered the loss (9-6), scattering seven hits against five runs (four earned) with eight strikeouts and two walks.
 
Garcia had three of NJCU's eight hits, one run and one RBI and junior third baseman MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) produced a run and RBI. Junior center fielder CASEY PEREZ (West New York, NJ/Academy of the Holy Angels) and junior catcher MARISSA BARISO (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) scored the other two runs.
 
Camden junior first baseman Kaitlyn Gaskill (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Memorial) was 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI on her third homerun of the season. Rookie third baseman Katie Larson (Delran, NJ/Delran) tallied two RBIs in a 1-for-3 effort. Rookie second baseman Cait Eltzholtz (Bellmawr, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) scored twice and classmate designated hitter Sam Shockey (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) went 1-for-4 with a run and RBI. Senior catcher Christina Tamburrino (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) knocked in one run.
 
In the first, R-C scored three times on three hits as NJCU committed two errors. A leadoff walk by senior center fielder Jackie Leafey (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City) and a single by Eltzholtz put two runners on before both advanced on a throwing error. A sacrifice fly by Larson made it 1-0. Shockey singled on a 3-2 pitch to drive in Eltzholtz. After an error on a fielder's choice allowed Shockey to remain at second base, she moved to third on a single before scoring an unearned third run on a Tamburrino sac fly.
 
With two outs in the second inning, Eltzholtz walked, stole second and scored on an RBI single to center by Larson. A leadoff solo homerun to center in the third by Gaskill on a 1-0 pitch made it 5-0.
 
 
NJCU would fire back in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs on four hits. Perez walked with one out, stole second and scored on a single to right center by Garcia. Bariso grounded a ball to shortstop and Camden unsuccessfully looked for the force on the speedy Garcia as a fielder's choice put two runners on base. After a fly out, Kaminski had a two-out single to knock in Garcia, and an errant throw allowed Bariso to follow for the third run. Kaminski later scored when Rivera slapped the first pitch she saw to center, cutting the deficit to 5-4.
 
O'Beirne shut down the Raptors in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, limiting the visitors to one hit. NJCU had its best chance to win in the bottom of the seventh when Perez would single to the shortstop with one out and Bariso walked with two away. But Johnson struck out two of the three final batters to end the game and preserve the one-run decision.
  In the nightcap, NJCU had just one hit through the first five innings but that was enough for a 1-0 lead after scoring in the second inning and the Knights were two outs away from pulling off an impressive upset of a school that is 6-0 versus Division II competition this season. But Camden scored five earned runs in the fifth inning after the first out had been recorded to keep its winning streak intact.
 
Shockey threw 7.0 innings, as she picked up her sixth win of the season (6-2), allowing just one earned run and three hits, with three strikeouts and three walks.
 
O'Beirne had a three-hit shutout going through six innings but took the loss (9-7) as she allowed five earned runs while scattering eight hits. She struck out four and walked one batter.
 
Rivera produced NJCU's lone RBI in a 1-for-3 effort and freshman designated hitter JULIANA JACOBSON (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) scored the Gothic Knight run. Bariso and rookie second baseman STEPHANIE MURPHY (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had the other two NJCU hits.
 
Camden was led by junior designated player Gabby Colon (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional) with two RBIs in a 2-for-3 effort while senior Brittany Sullivan (West Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) had a two-run double in a seventh-inning pinch-hitting role. Leafey was 1-for-4 with a run and RBI. Tamburrino, senior shortstop Courtney Ray (Gloucester City, NJ), freshman left fielder Lindsay Day (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) and rookie right fielder Steph Carfagno (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) each scored the other Camden runs in game two.
 
NJCU's lone run came in the bottom of the second as Jacobson led off with a four-pitch walk and scored on a one-out single up the middle by Rivera. NJCU's best other chance came in the fifth as Bariso led off with a walk and moved to third on a sacrifice and wild pitch, before being stranded.
 
O'Beirne was exceptional through the first six innings and no Camden player advanced further than second base. When Gaskill flew out to right center on a sliding catch by Rivera for the first out in the seventh, NJCU was two outs away from victory.
 
But Ray doubled down the left field line, Tamburrino was hit by a pitch and both players advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch before Colon fought off nine pitches, eventually doubling on the 10^th pitch of the at bat to deep left center on a shot that hopped off the wall and put the Raptors ahead, 2-1. Day and Leafey singled, the latter scoring Carfagno who ran for Colon, before Sullivan pinch hit and ripped a single to left field, just off the tip of the glove of a leaping Rivera, to drive in two more runs for a 5-1 lead.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Murphy singled down the right field line with two outs to give NJCU a glimpse of hope for a comeback before Camden retired the final batter to end the game.
 
NJCU returns to action on Tuesday, April 2 at 3 p.m. in an NJAC doubleheader against Kean University at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.