NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey City University softball team dropped both ends of its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) doubleheader today, Tuesday, April 5, as the Gothic Knights fell on the road to Rutgers-Newark. Despite a first-inning, three-run inside the park home run from sophomore
Emily Tunney (Mays Landing, N.J./Oak Crest) and a late ralley in the top of the seventh, the Green and Gold fell to the Scarlet Raiders, 7-5, in game one before dropping the second half of the twin bill 10-1 in five innings.
Game 1: Rutgers-Newark 7, NJCU 5
Tunney also had the start in the pitchers' circle for the Gothic Knights (9-12, 1-2 NJAC) in game one. She went the distance, tossing 6.0 innings and allowed six earned to go with three strikeouts. She was also 1-for-3 with the lumber, scoring one run and knocking in three RBI on the aforementioned inside the park homer, the first four-bagger of her collegiate career. Sophomore third baseman
Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) had the only other hit of the game for Jersey City, as she finished 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
Sophomore leftfielder
Skylah Cartwright (Willingboro, N.J./Burlington County Tech) led off the top of the first with a one-out walk, followed by a free base from senior captain first baseman
Emma Herrick (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) to put two runners on. Tunney then hit a hard liner to right, which got by the Rutgers-Newark (8-7, 3-1 NJAC) fielder and dribbled all the way back to the fence. This allowed all three bases runners — Tunney included — to round third and come home safely to give NJCU the early 3-0 advantage. The Scarlet Raiders answered immediately with two runs in the home half, and then scratched across one run in both the second and third to take the 4-3 lead.
The Gothic Knights then manufactured a run in the top of the sixth to tie it up. Herrick led off with another walk and then stole second before freshman
Victoria Devoto (Ridgefield, N.J./Immaculate Conception) came in to pinch run. Two quick outs were followed by a pinch hitting appearance by sophomore
Sidnie Dabbadie (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs). She reached on a throwing error at third and the speedy Devoto managed to make it all the way home to even it up at 4-4. However, Rutgers-Newark used a three-run shot to make it a 7-4 game in the home half. Jersey City did manage to get one back in the top of the seventh via a RBI groundout from senior shortstop
Alissa Bikowski (South Amboy, N.J./South Amboy) to make it 7-5, but the scoring would end there.
Game 2: Rutgers-Newark 10, NJCU 1 (5 innings)
This was a tough outing for the Gothic Knights and Dabbadie. The previously scorching hot right-hander allowed 10 earned in the loss as Jersey City managed a pair of hits and a run in the loss. The game was manageable through the top of the third inning, as the Scarlet Raiders led just 1-0. However, a one-run single and a grand slam in the bottom half of the third blew it open at 6-0. Rutgers-Newark scored four more in the bottom of the fourth to make it 10-0 via a two-run shot and a run-scoring fielder's choice.
Mariah, the older of the Villanueva sisters, tried to get a rally started in the top of the seventh as she notched her second extra-base hit of the day with a run-scoring double with one out to make it 10-1. NJCU eventually loaded the bases with two outs, but the Scarlet Raiders got the final out to cap off the nine-run win in five.
Up Next:
Having dropped three straight, the Gothic Knights look to bounce back with a scheduled non-conference doubleheader (weather permitting) on Thursday, April 7, on the road in Bethlehem, Pa., against Moravian University. The Green and Gold are then scheduled to return to the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on Saturday, April 9, for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against The College of New Jersey on Senior Day.
