CAPE CORAL, Fla. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Mount Mary University scored twice in the first and third innings and hung on for a 7-3 win over New Jersey City University on March 8 in game two of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic for the Gothic Knights.
 
Mount Mary evened its mark at 2-2 with the win while the Gothic Knights fell to 0-2 after dropping a pair of games decided by four runs on opening day.
 
Senior center fielder Crystal Torres (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen), junior first baseman Faith Ely (Vienna, NJ/Hackettstown), freshman left fielder Juliana Squeo (Carlstadt, NJ/Becton Regional) and senior left-handed pitcher Ashley Latushko (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) each generated two hits in the loss.
 
Second baseman Nicole Weggen and right fielder Ashley Contreras each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Left fielder Michelle Argenzio finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. The Blue Angels committed three errors but NJCU was unable to score off of those mistakes.
 
Nikki Festge was the winner for Mount Mary (1-1), striking out seven versus one walk in 7.0 innings. She allowed three runs and nine hits. Latushko suffered the loss (0-1), striking out three against five walks.
 
MMU got on the board in the top of the first with two runs. Weggen had an RBI single and later scored on a fielder's choice. Latushko's first career RBI, coming on a single up the middle in the second inning to score Squeo, cut the deficit in half.
 
MMU added two in the third on an RBI double to right by Contreras. NJCU got one back in the bottom of the frame as freshman shortstop Alize Sarmiento (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) and Ely singled back-to-back and Sarmiento scored on a ground ball by Squeo.
 
But the Blue Angels created some separation with single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings for a 7-2 advantage with Weggen and Argenzio knocking in runs before an unearned run came home in the final inning. Torres scored NJCU's final run when she led off with a single and scored on an error following a double by Ely. Squeo later singled to give NJCU two runners on base before a strikeout ended the game.
 
OF NOTE:

• All-time series even, 1-1.