JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University softball team began New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play this afternoon, March 30, hosting the Scarlet Raptors of Rutgers-Camden. The Gothic Knights used a six-run second inning to propel them to the victory in game 1, and fell just short in game 2.

Game 1: NJCU 9, Rutgers-Camden 1 (5 innings)
Senior pitcher Sidnie Dabbadie (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) got the start in the circle for Jersey City (6-7, 1-1 NJAC) in game 1. In the top of the first, Dabbadie hit the leadoff batter, then a sacrifice bunt moved the Scarlet Raptor (10-10, 1-1 NJAC) runner to second. A tag-up on a foul fly out allowed the runner to advance again, and after a walk to the third batter, the runner on third scored as a run down between first and second took place. In the bottom of the first, freshman right fielder Alana Olden reached base on a throwing error and advanced to second. Junior second baseman Jordan Mendolla (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) hit a double that brought Olden home and evened the score, 1-1.

Dabbadie worked a 1-2-3 second, and the Gothic Knight offense exploded in the home half. Junior third baseman Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) led off with a walk, and freshman center fielder Cheyenn Fulton (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) reached on an infield hit to shortstop. A wild pitch moved both runners over, and Fulton scored on an RBI single to center by sophomore left fielder Natalie Rosales (Union City, N.J./Jose Marti STEM Academy). This was just the beginning for the Green and Gold, as junior designated player Abby Castro (Clifton, N.J./Passaic County Tech) followed with an infield single to second base. A Scarlet Raptor throwing error allowed a run to come across and both Rosales and Castro to advance. A third infield single in the inning came off the bat of senior shortstop Emily Tunney (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest), scoring Rosales. Olden would reach on a throwing error by the Rutgers-Camden catcher, allowing Castro to come home. First baseman Jaelynn Barrios (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) reached on a dropped fly ball to center, and two more Gothic Knight runs scored. After two innings, NJCU led 7-1. 

In the top of the third, Dabbadie got the first batter to go down swinging. The following batter hit a blooper into shallow right field, and Tunney was able to range back and to her right to make the play. Dabbadie then tried to one-up her teammate as she made a sliding catch on a short pop up towards the first base line to end the inning. In the home half, Castro led off with a walk. Tunney and Olden would both hit infield singles to load the bases, and a foul fly out by Barrios turned into an RBI as Castro tagged up and scored. In the fourth and fifth innings, Dabaddie retired the side in order, picking up three more strikeouts. Mendolla singled to left with one down in the bottom of the fifth and got herself into scoring position by stealing second. Senior catcher Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) hit a single to center field that plated Mendolla and ended game 1, 9-1.

Game 2: Rutgers-Camden 2, NJCU 1
Senior pitcher Sam Miller (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) was in the circle for the Gothic Knights in game 2, and faced the minimum six batters through two innings. In the bottom of the second, Barrios reached on a leadoff single, and a ground out by Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) moved Barrios into scoring position. Following her, Fulton found grass in the outfield and Barrios was able to score to give NJCU a 1-0 lead. Miller went 1-2-3 again in the top of the third, but Rutgers-Camden tied the game after Tunney's throw to first got away and allowed a run to come across. In the fifth, Rutgers-Camden reached with a leadoff single, and after a double to center field by the following batter, the lead runner scored after Fulton committed a throwing error, giving the Scarlet Raptors a 2-1 lead.

The NJCU offense struggled to get going after their run in the second inning, as the squad was unable to get more than one base runner on for the remainder of the game. Despite Miller's seven innings of work with no earned runs, the Green and Gold could not come back to walk off game 2.

Highlights: 
- Dabbadie picked up her first no-hitter of 2024 in game 1, and her fourth overall as a Gothic Knight.
- NJCU has now split their NJAC opener twice in the last three seasons (Rutgers-Camden, 2022)

Up Next:
Should the weather hold, the Gothic Knights will host Kean for a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) doubleheader on Tuesday, April 2. The squads split the season series last year, and first-pitch of game 1 is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.