JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University softball team picked up two exciting home victories on Thursday, April 20, in a doubleheader sweep of Hunter College at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. NJCU shutdown the Hawks, 9-1, over six innings in the game one victory, before chipping away at a 7-5 deficit before eventually walking off in the bottom of the seventh in game two for the come-from-behind win, 8-7.

Game 1: NJCU 9, Hunter 1 (6 innings)
Junior right-hander Sidnie Dabbadie (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) was in the circle for the game one win as she once again went the distance for her 14th complete game in 18 appearances this season. NJCU (13-17) topped the Hawks (8-20) behind the California native's 6.0 innings in the circle as she struck out seven batters and allowed just one earned run. Junior shortstop Emily Tunney (Mays Landing, N.J./Oak Crest), sophomore catcher Abby Castro (Clifton, N.J./Passaic County Tech) and rookie outfielder Natalie Rosales (Union City, N.J./Jose Marti STEM Academy) all had multi-hit performances.

Jersey City started it off in the bottom of the first by going up 2-0. Junior second base Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) reached on a one-out error and then Castro singled to left. The ball was misplayed and Villanueva ended up coming all the way around to make it 1-0. Castro, who had gotten to third on the previous error, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. The Gothic Knights put three more across in the second. Sophomore first base Jaelynn Barrios (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led off with a hit before freshman Yavely Marrero (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy) dropped down a bunt that got by Hunter's pitcher and nearly rolled all the way to the outfield, allowing Barrios to get to third. Sophomore outfielder Lisbet Bernabe (Passaic, N.J./Passaic) then reached on an error, which scored Barrios. Rosales followed with a double to the gap in right to score Marrero. Tunney reached next and eventually, on a double steal, Rosales made it home to make it 5-0.

Dabbadie worked into and out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the third to keep it at 5-0. Neither side managed to score until the Hawks homered in the top of the fifth. NJCU answered right back, however, with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Tunney led off with a single and two at-bats later, Castro had a base-hit of her own. Dabbadie then helped her own cause with a one-run single to make it 6-1. Sophomore Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) then hit a hard one to second and it was misplayed, allowing Castro to score from second. Barrios closed out the offense for the inning with a sac fly to center to plate Dabbadie, making it 8-1. Finally, Rosales started off the bottom of the sixth with a one-out single and then stole second. Two at-bats later, Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) ended the game with a double to center, making it 9-1 to invoke the eight-run rule.

Game 2: NJCU 8, Hunter 7
This one started out similarly for the Gothic Knights as they started off with a three-spot in the bottom of the first. Tunney led off with walk and then stole second. As Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) walked after her, the ball got away from the Hawks' catcher and Tunney got to third on the wild pitch — Villanueva then stole second moments later. Castro followed with a run-scoring single up the middle before stealing second as well. Then Barrios came through with a one-run single. Two at-bats later, Rosales plated Castro with a single to make it 3-0. Hunter scored an unearned run in the top of the second and the score remained 3-1 until the top of the fourth.

The Hawks, aided by a couple of NJCU errors, exploded for six runs to take a 7-3 advantage. The Green and Gold answered with a pair in the next half inning to cut it to 7-5. Tunney started with a two-out single before Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) doubled down the line in left to score her. She later crossed the plate herself on a wild pitch. Now trailing by two, the Gothic Knights chipped away with another run in the bottom of the fifth as Barrios led off with a double and Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) followed with a run-scoring two-bagger of her own to cut it 7-6. NJCU scratched another across in the home half of the seventh once again as Tunney reached on a one-out infield single, advance on a failed pickoff attemt to move into scoring position and was then plated by a single up the middle from Castro to tie it up at 7-7.

Finally, with one out, Rosales reached on an infield single to short in the bottom of the seventh before Marrero — she pitched and went the full 7.0 innings in this one — helped her own cause with a game-winning, one-run double to center to walk it off, 8-7. Overall, Marrero allowed two earned with five strikeouts to notch the second win of her career.

Doubleheader Highlights:
- Rosales finished 5-for-7 with three runs, a double, two RBI and stole twice.
- Barrios was 4-for-6 with two runs, a double and a RBI.
- Castro and Tunney were both 4-for-7. The former scored three times and plated two, while the latter scored four times and drew a walk. Castro stole a base, while Tunney stole two.
- Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) was 3-for-7 with three doubles, three runs, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base.
- Marrero was 2-for-6 with a run, a double, RBI and a stolen base.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play on Saturday, April 22, at home for a doubleheader against second-place Ramapo College, with game one beginning at 1:00 p.m.