Jersey City. N.J - The bats were hot today, March 27, at the Thomas M. Gerrity Complex, as the New Jersey City University softball team swept a non conference matchup against the University of Mount Saint Vincent. The first game ended in the fifth, as the Green and Gold erupted offensively to put up nine runs on 11 hits. Freshman righthander
Maggie Martin (Spring Lake Heights, N.J., Manasquan) (1-0) earned her first win of the season in the 9-0 victory, while also not giving up a hit to the Dolphins in three innings pitched. In game two, senior righthander
Sidnie Dabbadie (Burbank, Calif., John Burroughs), who sat seven strikeouts shy of her 300th as a Gothic Knight coming into the day, got the start in the second game. In style, she put up a season-best 12 strikeouts in five innings, securing number 300 by retiring the side in the third inning. NJCU kept the momentum going offensively in the second, as they went on to score 15 runs in game two, and would take the second game by a score of 15-2 for the squad's largest margin of victory so far this season, as well as their highest scoring game.
Game 1:
Senior right hander
Emily Tunney (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) got the start in the circle for NJCU (4-6) in the first game. Tunney would pitch for three shutout innings before she was relieved by Martin, and allowed just one UMSV (3-11) hit. As mentioned, the Gothic Knights brought the bats today, managing to score in all but one inning in the first.
NJCU struck early in the first inning, as senior designated player
Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J., McNair Academic) reached base with a one-out double for the first Green and Gold hit of the day. After she advanced on a subsequent groundout, junior first baseman
Jaelynn Barrios (Bayonne, N.J., Bayonne) hit a single through the right side to knock in the first run of the game. Barrios now has six RBIs in 2024, and has extended her hitting streak to six straight games.
In the bottom of the second, NJCU tacked on a few more runs. Junior infielder
Paola Calderon (Brooklyn, N.Y., John Adams) led off the inning with a double through the right side. With Calderon in scoring position, that set up junior third baseman
Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J., McNair Academic) to also hit a double, scoring Calderon for the former's fifth RBI of the season and the latter's 10th run of the year. NJCU were not done yet, as they put up three more runs before the side was retired. Villanueva would cross home plate when sophomore
Natalie Rosales (Union City, N.J., Jose Marti STEM Academy) notched her first hit of the game. Rosales advanced to third on an error by the Dolphins on that play, and Villanueva reached home to give NJCU a 3-0 lead. Still with two outs remaining in the inning, Rosales would eventually score the fourth run of the game on a well orchestrated double steal, giving NJCU a 4-0 advantage.
Martin relieved Tunney to start the third inning, and she would go on to allow no hits and strikeout a career-high three batters in the first earned win of her career in the Green and Gold. In the bottom half, NJCU scored another three runs to extend their lead, as junior catcher
Abby Castro (Clifton, N.J., Passaic County Tech) led off the home half with a single to right field, and a Dolphins error in the outfield allowed her advance to second. Castro moved to third on a successful bunt attempt by junior infielder
Jordan Mendolla (Jersey City, N.J., Hudson Catholic). Mendolla showed her speed again to take second, putting runners on the corners. With Calderon next, she stepped up to knock in both runners and widen the margin, ultimately forcing the Dolphins into a pitching change. UMSV struck out the next batter, but not before throwing a wild pitch that moved Calderon into scoring position for the second time today. Junior outfielder
Cheyenn Fulton (Jersey City, N.J., Hudson Catholic) batted in the last run of the inning with a single to left field to give NJCU a 7-0 lead going into the fourth.
As touched on, the Green and Gold were held scoreless in the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth, the Gothic Knights continued an impressive defensive display, as they retired the final three Dolphins batters with a chance at ending the game in the home half. They would go on to do just that by scoring two more runs on two hits and another Dolphins error. Fulton's second hit of the game was the final of game 1, as she doubled to left center and scored two runners, earning her fourth and fifth RBI of 2024.
Game Two:
NJCU (4-6) turned to Dabbadie (3-2) in the circle for the second game against UMSV (3-12), eyeing at least seven strikeouts to reach 300 in her collegiate career. In the top of the first, she earned her first two of the day, striking out the leadoff batter swinging, and the final out of the first looking. In the second, she struck out all three swinging, totaling five strikeouts in two innings. In the top of the third, she got strikeout number six against the Dolphins lead off hitter. Lucky number seven was the final out of the fourth, as Dabbadie retired the side swinging and was immediately greeted by her teammates in the dugout to celebrate the senior captain's milestone. She would go on to pitch the remaining two innings and strikeout five more batters, including three in the fourth, and the final out of the game en-route to her third win of the year.
Unlike the first game, the Gothic Knights struggled to get the bats going early. The deadlock broke in the second via freshman outfielder
Alonah Olden (Lake George, N.Y., Lake George) hitting her first double of the season. With a runner on third, the rookie notched the fifth hit and third RBI of her young Green and Gold career to put NJCU in the lead before the side was retired.
An offensive explosion came in the third, as NJCU piled 12 runs on 11 hits for their highest scoring inning of the campaign. The frame was highlighted by Dabbadie joining in on the offense for the seventh triple of her career while knocking the third and fourth runs of the game. Fulton immediately followed Dabbadie with a triple of her own, the second of her career, and scoring the latter to make it 5-0. Eight more Green and Gold runners would cross home plate before the end of the third, including another Dabbadie hit that scored the final run.
NJCU cooled down in the fourth, but still managed to score two more runners. The Green and Gold pinch hit the first few batters of the inning, and would end up with runners on first and second after freshman outfielder
Shannon McGuire (Merrick, N.Y., Sanford H. Calhoun) and senior outfielder
Skylah Cartwright (Willingboro, N.J., Burlington County Tech) each drew a walk in their first appearances of the day. Senior infielder
Hailey Mojica (Secaucus, N.J., Secaucus) pinch hit next, and loaded the bases after notching her first hit of the season. Looking for another run, junior outfielder
Marietta Angulo (Secaucus, N.J., Secaucus) got her first hit of the season in another pinch hit situation, while also scoring Cartwright for the former's first RBI and the latter's first run of 2024. The Gothic Knights scored one more in their final offensive inning of the afternoon, but unfortunately couldn't keep the shutout after the Dolphins scored a couple in the top of the fifth. NJCU have now won three straight games going into the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) home opener this weekend.
Highlights:
- NJCU scored 24 runs on 26 hits this afternoon, including eight different players recording a hit in the first game, as well as 11 in game two.
-The Gothic Knights were efficient at the plate today, only going down on strikes six times total, three times per game, and were also able to draw 10 total walks this afternoon.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights will open up NJAC play at home at the Thomas M. Gerrity Complex on Saturday, March 30, as they are set face Rutgers-Camden. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
