New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE (htmls): Game 1 | Game 2

MADISON, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University junior catcher MARISSA BARISO (Hewitt, NJ/West Milford) drove in three runs, including her 18^th career home run as the Gothic Knights scored six runs in the seventh inning and knocked off FDU-Florham, 8-4 in the opening game of a non-conference doubleheader on April 25. In game two, NJCU led 4-1 before the Devils scored six times in their final at bat, and belted a walk-off grand slam to edge the Knights, 7-4.
 
FDU-Florham (18-18) outhit the NJCU (14-23) in both games and leads the all-time series, 23-10; the Knights were playing their final non-conference games of the season.
 
Bariso finished with a combined four RBIs and three runs in the doubleheader to up her career hits total to 92 while junior center fielder CASEY PEREZ (West New York, NJ/Academy of the Holy Angels) finished with six stolen bases, four runs and two RBIs in the twinbill. She had one of the great individual steal efforts in NJCU history in game two, swiping five bases to improve to a perfect 25-for-25 on the season.
 
Senior right-hander ASHLEY O'BEIRNE (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Immaculate Conception) won her 35^th career game in the opener, moving into a share of second place in school history.
  FDU-Florham led 3-0 going into the sixth inning before the Gothic Knights rallied by scoring eight runs in the final two at bats to take game one, 8-4. The Knights pulled within one run after scoring twice in the sixth before 10 batters came to the plate in a six- run, six-hit top of the seventh.
 
Bariso was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored, her sixth home run of the season and her third triple. Perez added two RBIs, scored twice and notched her second triple of the year in a 2-for-4 effort.
 
Senior third baseman REBECCA SATZ (Morris Plains, NJ/Morristown) scored once and drove in an RBI while junior second baseman MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had one RBI. Satz upped her second-place career totals to 186 hits and 111 RBIs.
 
Also for NJCU, rookie right fielder THALIA GARCIA (Ridgefield, NJ/North Bergen), rookie designated hitter STEPHANIE MURPHY (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and sophomore left fielder TAYLOR SETAR (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) each scored once.
 
Senior pitcher ASHLEY O'BEIRNE (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Immaculate Conception) improved to 14-21 with the win. In 7.0 innings, she allowed just two earned runs (four total) against 10 hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
 
Senior pitcher Karla Babb (Lake Hopatcong, NJ/Pope John) suffered the loss for the Devils and fell to 8-5 on the season by scattering eight hits, eight runs (four earned) with three strikeouts and one walk.
 
Junior catcher Sarah Lima (Stanfordville, NY) was 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored while junior shortstop Maggie Murphy (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) scored twice. Rookie first baseman Wynne McCann (Boyertown, PA) and junior right fielder Toni-Ann Canova (Staten Island, NY) each had two hits and one RBI.
 
The Devils scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings. Murphy scored in the opening inning on an error before coming across again in the third on an RBI single by McCann. FDU gained a 3-0 lead in the fifth when Lima homered to right center—her sixth of the year.
 
NJCU finally got on the scoreboard of the sixth when Perez led off with a single, stole second and scored on a ground out by Satz. With two outs, Bariso slammed a home run over the left center fence to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
 
In the seventh, NJCU was down to its final out with just one runner on base after a force play. Setar kept the game alive with a single. Perez tripled to right center to score Setar and Murphy with the tying and go-ahead runs before coming across with a fifth run when Garcia reached on an error. Satz singled up the middle and with two runners on base, Bariso tripled to right center to drive in two more runs for a 7-3 advantage. An RBI single by Kaminski plated Bariso with the eighth run. Canova had a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh as FDU got one of the runs back but fell by four.
   In the nightcap, NJCU led 3-1 going into bottom of the seventh before FDU rallied—drawing within one run on back-to-back bases loaded walks before McCann hit her second homer of the game, a walk-off grand slam to center that gave the Devils the 7-4 victory.
 
In defeat, Perez scored twice in a 1-for-3 effort and a walk while swiping five bases. It was the most steals by an NJCU player since Perez also picked off five bases against Hunter College as a freshman (March 19, 2011) and the most since at least the year 2000.
 
Kaminski was 2-for-3 with one RBI while Satz and Bariso each added one run and one RBI. O'Beirne suffered the loss (14-22) as she scattered seven hits, seven earned runs with two strikeouts and five walks.
 
Offensively, McCann was outstanding for the Devils as she was 3-for-4 with five RBIs, two runs and her seventh and eighth homers of the season. Lima was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI and Murphy scored twice. Junior left fielder Brittni Wurst (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Freshman pitcher Sydney Worek (Bordentown, NJ/Florence Township) picked up the win (9-10) for FDU. In 7.0 innings, she allowed four runs (three earned), five hits, while striking out six batters and walking two.
 
NJCU struck first in the opening inning as Pere reached on an error, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher on the second steal attempt. FDU evened the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when McCann homered to left.
 
In the fifth, NJCU responded with three runs on four hits. Perez singled with one out and stole second. After an infield pop out, Satz put NJCU in front with an RBI single to knock in Perez and Bariso doubled to center for a 3-1 advantage. An RBI single by Kaminski up the middle plated Bariso for a 4-1 lead.
 
NJCU needed three outs to pull off the road sweep but FDU would score six times on the benefit of only three hits. Canova walked, FDU singled and after a pop up to second, Wurst bunted a single to the mound to load the bases. Murphy and Lima patiently waited out back-to-back walks to force in two runs and cut the lead to 4-3. With the bases still full, McCann unloaded a game-winning grand slam over the center field fence to score Lima, Murphy and Wurst and give FDU-Florham the 7-4 victory.
 
NJCU will conclude its 2013 season on Saturday, April 27 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader on the road against Richard Stockton at 1 p.m. in Galloway, NJ.