FORT MYERS, Fla. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University junior right-handed pitcher Christina Mezey (Jersey City, NJ/Saint Dominic Academy) tossed her third career one-hit shutout in game one and senior center fielder Julie Squeo (Carlstadt, NJ/Becton Regional) had a combined six hits in two games as the Gothic Knights capped their 2018 spring trip at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic with two wins on March 8. NJCU defeated University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, 6-0, in seven innings and Rivier University, 10-2 in six innings to close the trip.
 
After an 0-4 start to the season, NJCU (3-5) won three of its final four games on the trip. Both games were played at the CenturyLink Complex Fields—spring training home of the Minnesota Twins.
 
GAME 1: New Jersey City 6, Pitt-Bradford 0
Mezey tossed the longest one-hit shutout of her career and the first as a starting pitcher since her freshman campaign in 2016 and was backed by an NJCU offense that scored in four different innings. The Panthers, members of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), fell to 3-2 with the loss.
 
Mezey threw exactly 100 pitches, striking out two and walking two while giving up only a third-inning, one-out double to junior catcher Nicole Nolte (Smethport, Pa.) on a 3-2 pitch.
 
Mezey had previously thrown one-hitters in back-to-back starts on March 17, 2016 at Brooklyn (Won, 18-0) and March 24, 2016 vs. Lehman (Won, 11-0) in games that saw her throw 4.0 and 5.0 innings of work, respectively. She also threw 4.0 scoreless innings of relief on March 6, 2016 vs. Eastern Nazarene. This was her first masterpiece that lasted a full 7.0 innings.
 
Squeo batted 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the No. 2 spot in the lineup to lead NJCU's 12-hit attack. The four hits were a career-high; she previous had three hits in a game three times, including going 3-for-3 in a win over Anna Maria yesterday.
 
Senior designated player Melissa Mendoza (Union City, NJ/Union City) was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI while sophomore left fielder Arianna Scrimo (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) batted 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Junior righty Liz Dzurisin (Parma, Ohio) lost for the Panthers (0-1). She allowed six runs and 12 hits with two K's and one walk.
 
NJCU scored single runs in the second and third innings. In the second, freshman right fielder Zoe Viant (Union City, NJ/Union City) knocked in the eventual winning run with a two-out RBI single. In the third, Squeo led off with a single before eventually scoring on a two-out error.
 
Up 2-0, NJCU added two more in the fourth. Scrimo singled with two outs and scored on a double to left by freshman first baseman Gianna Benacquista (Belleville, NJ/Belleville). An infield single by Squeo pushed Benacquista across.
 
NJCU tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Squeo led off with her fourth hit of the game and stole second before scoring on a one-out double to left by sophomore catcher Kayla Clarke (East Rutherford, NJ/Becton Regional). Mendoza followed with a double to right-center for the sixth run.
 
GAME 2: New Jersey City 10, Rivier 2 (6 innings)
Squeo was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored and Viant came through with a 2-for-4 effort and two runs scored. Scrimo drove in three runs and scored once (1-for-2, one walk).
 
NJCU scored four times in the second inning, two in the fourth, then put the game away with four more runs in the top of the sixth. NJCU had a 9-4 margin in hits. Rivier (0-8) scored twice in the second to cut the deficit in half.
 
For the Knights, Clarke and freshman second baseman Dulce Almonte (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder via County Prep) each scored twice; Almonte drew two walks in the win.
 
Mezey had another solid effort, allowing two runs and just four hits—all singles—while striking out five and walking only two over 81 pitches to improve to 3-5.
 
Sophomore center fielder Kasey Smith (Hopkinton, N.H.) led the Raiders—members of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)—driving in both runs out of the top of the order. She was 1-for-2 with a walk and two steals. Riv used three pitchers. Junior Kerri Hegarty (Tewksbury, Mass.) started and suffered the loss (0-2), although none of the runs she gave up in 1.2 innings were earned.
 
NJCU led 1-0 in the second inning after a leadoff error and Squeo singled to right center for a 3-0 lead and the eventual winning runs. When Squeo stole second, Benacquista, who was on third, came home to make it 4-0. Smith had a two-out, bases-loaded single to right in the second to cut the lead in half.
 
In the fourth, Viant singled and Almonte walked before both were driven in on a two-run single up the middle by Scrimo for a 6-1 advantage.
 
In the sixth, NJCU put up the four runs to enforce the eight-run rule. Scrimo walked, Squeo singled and the bases were loaded after a hit batter. After a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman Hannah Gavin (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown), Clarke and Mendoza each followed with RBI singles before the 10th run came in on a fielding error.

 
NOTABLES:

• Series vs. Pitt-Bradford: Series even, 1-1. Both games have been shutouts. UPB won, 8-0, on March 9, 2015 in Fort Myers.
• Series vs. Rivier: First meeting; NJCU leads, 1-0.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• NJCU will return to New Jersey and will be off for nine days. Weather permitting, NJCU visits St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) on Saturday, March 17 at 12 p.m., seeking to even its record at .500 on the season. It will be the first meeting between the programs.

 
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