New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University softball team owns its longest winning streak in 17 years and the third longest in the 36-year history of the program as the Gothic Knights swept a non-conference doubleheader from Baruch College on March 29, 2-1 and 9-1 in five innings at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
NJCU improved to 11-5—its best record to start a season since going 15-5 in 2001—and extended its winning streak to eight straight. It's the longest stretch of winning since March, 1999 when it claimed eight in a row. Baruch (3-12) had its three-game win streak snapped.
 
Game 1: New Jersey City University 2, Baruch College 1
Sophomore left fielder Juliana Squeo (Carlstadt, NJ/Becton Regional) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning to push across the go-ahead run and senior center fielder Thalia Garcia (Ridgefield, NJ/North Bergen) threw out a potential tying run at the plate in top of the seventh as the Gothic Knights won the one-run game. It was the closest win for NJCU this year; all nine previous wins had been decided by five or more runs.
 
Senior right-handed pitcher Jayla Lee Vega (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) won her sixth consecutive start, improving to 6-1 overall. In a complete game effort, she allowed just one unearned run and nine hits in 7.0 innings with five strikeouts and four walks over 107 pitches. After an unearned run in the opening inning, she showed her toughness on the mound when she stranded the bases loaded in the inning and two Baruch runners each in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
 
NJCU was held to four hits, with freshman catcher Hannah Gavin (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) reaching base three times. She batted 2-for-2 with a run and a walk. She also threw out a runner stealing.
 
Baruch freshman righty Cassandra Lagana (Port Chester, NY) took the loss (2-8). In 6.0 innings, she allowed two runs and four hits with three walks and a strikeout. Eight of the nine batters in the lineup had a hit. Junior third baseman Christina Chin (Riverdale, NY) was 2-for-3.
 
Baruch plated its only run in the top of the first when freshman catcher Olivia Dellston (Ventnor, NJ) reached on a leadoff error and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by junior shortstop Julian Gross (Northport, NY).

LONGEST SOFTBALL WINNING STREAKS
STREAK	DATE STARTED (OPPONENT)	DATE ENDED (OPPONENT)
14	March 11, 1998 (vs. Wesley)	April 11, 1998 (Bloomfield)
10	March 10, 1999 (vs. DeSales)	March 29, 1999 (Kean)
8	March 15, 2016 (at Yeshiva)	active

 
NJCU tied it in the bottom of the third. Junior shortstop Brianna Rosario (Roselle, NJ/Abraham Clark) led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch.
 
In the sixth, junior first baseman Brittany Paulikas (Fords, NJ/John F. Kennedy Memorial) was hit by a pitch with one out, Gavin walked and Vega was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A force at the plate recorded the second out but with the bases still full, Squeo waited out a five-pitch walk to plate the eventual winning run.
 
In the top of the seventh, sophomore center fielder Nicole Bellini (Staten Island, NY) led off with a double and Lagana singled up the middle. When the ball rolled into the right center gap, Bellini tried to score the tying run. But Garcia threw a strike to the plate and Gavin had plenty of time to apply the tag. Vega followed with fly out and ground out to seal it.
 
Game 2: New Jersey City University 9, Baruch College 1 (5 innings)  
After Baruch again scored an unearned run in the top of the first, NJCU scored in each of the final four innings, including three runs each in the fourth and fifth frames.
 
In an encore to a one-hitter last week, New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Week and freshman righty Christina Mezey (Jersey City, NJ/Saint Dominic Academy) tossed a two-hitter this time. In 5.0 innings she allowed one unearned run, struck out five and walked one over 70 pitches.
 
Vega, who was the third baseman in game two, batted 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a game-ending walk. Freshman designated player Victoria Moyeno (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) tallied two RBIs and scored once. Sophomore second baseman Cristina Otero (Jersey City, NJ/North Bergen) scored twice.
 
Gross, the pitcher for Baruch in game two, took the loss (1-3), allowing nine runs (four earned). She was charged with 10 hits and seven walks (one strikeout).
 
Baruch scored its only run in the first when the leadoff batter, Dellston, reached on a fielding error and later scored in an inning highlighted by an incredible diving catch in left center by Garcia.
 
NJCU left the bases loaded in the second but not before Mezey, who walked, later was forced in on a bases-loaded walk to junior center fielder Jazz Randall (Parsippany, NJ/West Orange).
 
Tied 1-1, NJCU scored twice in the third on three hits. Paulikas led off with a double and scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Vega. An RBI single by Mezey aided her own cause and gave NJCU a 3-1 lead.
 
NJCU began to pull away with three runs in the fourth. Otero and Paulikas singled back-to-back to open the frame. Gavin reached on a throwing error that scored both Otero and Paulikas before Gavin came in on a ground out by Moyeno that made it 6-1.
 
In the fifth, sophomore left fielder Melissa Mendoza (Union City, NJ/Union City) led off with a double and later scored the seventh run on an error. Paulikas singled and Gavin walked to load the bases before Moyeno and Vega walked on eight consecutive pitches to end the game.
 
#KnightNotes:

• All-Time Series with Baruch: NJCU leads, 16-3.

 
What's Next?:
NJCU begins New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m. when it faces Kean University (7-9) in Union, NJ. Kean won 31 games last year and reached the NCAA Division III World Series. The Cougars, idle since March 22, have won four straight while playing a very challenging schedule. It will be the 56th and 57th meetings in a series Kean leads, 49-6.