BRONX — The New Jersey City University softball squad closed out the 2024 season in dominant fashion on the road on Tuesday afternoon, April 30, as the Gothic Knights defeated Lehamn College 15-2 in game one and 20-1 in game two. Both games were finished after five innings as NJCU closes out the year with 13 victories and has now posted double digit wins in three straight seasons. Additionally, the Gothic Knights' four New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) wins are the most since 2009.

Senior righthander Sam Miller (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) started both games for the Green and Gold (13-22), allowing just two earned runs over 10.0 innings to go with three strikeouts for a pair of victories. She closes out the best season of her collegiate career with a 3.99 ERA, five victories, 11 complete games and 30 strikeouts over 87.2 innings in the circle. Additionally, senior outfielder/shortstop Emily Tunney (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) finished the day 3-for-4 with five runs scored, a double, a triple, three RBI, five walks and a stolen base. She closes out her career with 104 hits, a .311 batting average (14th all-time), 64 runs scored (t-20th all-time), 21 doubles (t-11th all-time), seven triples (t-seventh all-time), 29 walks and 23 stolen bases (17th all-time).

Game 1: NJCU 15, Lehman 2 (5 inn.)
NJCU started off this one with a seven-run first inning. Tunney led off with a walk and a steal and then scored on a RBI double down the line in left by senior second base Mariah Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic). Sophomore outfielder Natalie Rosales (Union City, N.J./Jose Marti STEM Academy) was then hit by a pitch before a wild pitch, followed by a passed ball as junior catcher Abby Castro (Clifton, N.J./Passaic County Tech) walked made it 2-0. Junior third baseman Mya Villanueva (Jersey City, N.J./McNair Academic) later made it 3-0 with a RBI double of her own to the gap in right, scoring Castro. With the bases loaded and two outs, senior outfielder Hailey Mojica (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) hit a two-run single to make it 5-0 before Tunney came up once again and sent a two-run single of her own to center to make it 7-0.

The Lightning (7-18-1) got one unearned in the home half, but NJCU took a 10-1 lead in the top of the second. With two outs and rookie designated hitter Maggie Martin (Spring Lake Heights, N.J./Manasquan) on second and Castro on third, junior shortstop Jordan Mendolla (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) plated them both with a double to left, making it 9-1. She scored in the next at-bat on an error, as well. After a scoreless third, Lehman pushed one across in the bottom of the fourth, making it 10-2. In the top of the fifth, the Gothic Knights made it a 13-run game, scoring five. Mojica led off with a one-out single and then, with her and Tunny in scoring position, Mariah hit a one-run single, followed by a RBI single from senior pinch hitter Skylah Cartwright (Willingboro, N.J./Burlington County Tech) — another run scored on an error — to make it 13-2. Castro followed with a one-run single and then Martin singled home another run to make it 15-2.

Game 2: NJCU 20, Lehman 1 (5 inn.)
Tunney led this one off with a triple and then scored on a double-steal attempt to make it 1-0. Mendolla then got on with a walk and stole second, moving over to third with two outs. Mya plated her with a single up the middle to make it 2-0. Later, with the bases juiced, Cartwright drew a walk to force in a run and make it 3-0 before senior outfielder Nicole Weinbel (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) did the same, making it 4-0. A subsequent wild pitch allowed rookie first base Emma Grochowski (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) score from the third to make it 5-0. Mendolla led off with a single in the top of the second and got to third on the error. Then, with the bases loaded, Mojica drew the RBI walk to make it 6-0. Grochowski again followed suit with a walk of her own to make it 7-0. After a bad throw the a failed pickoff attempt, Mya scored from third to make it 8-0.

The Lightning scored one unearned in the bottom of the second, but the Gothic Knights answered with eight in the top of the third. Tunney led off with another walk, got to second on a wild pitch, made it to third on an errant play by the catcher and scored on a bad throw from left. Mariah, Mendolla and Castro all loaded the bases for Mya, who hit a two-run single to the gap in right to make it 11-1. A wild pitch followed, scoring Castro from third. Then, with two outs, Cartwright hit an infield single to score Mya before Mariah pushed in a run to make it 14-1 with a bases loaded walk. Mendolla did the same, making it 15-1 before rookie Shannon McGuire (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) hit a pinch hit single to left, scoring one to end the half inning at 16-1.

NJCU scored two in the top of the fourth as Mya led off with a double, followed by a one-out single to left by Grochowski to make it 17-1. With two outs and two on, Tunney doubled to the gap in left to make it 18-1. McGuire led off the top of the fifth with a one-out double and then Martin hit the first home run of her collegiate career, making it 20-1.

Highlights:
- Martin was 3-for-3 with three runs, a home run, three RBI and was hit by two pitches. Her rookie teammate McGuire was 2-for-2 with a run, a double and a RBI, as well.
- Castro finished 2-for-3 with five runs, a RBI, two walks, was hit once, had a sac fly and stole two bases.
- Mendolla was also 2-for-3 and scored five times, adding a double with three RBI, five walks and a stolen base.
- Mya was 4-for-6 with four runs, two doubles, four RBI, a walk and was hit by a pitch.
- Mojica notched a 3-for-5 day at the plate, scoring three runs with three RBI, three walks and a stolen base.
- Cartwright was 2-for-5 with three runs, three RBI and two walks. Mariah was also 2-for-5 with three runs and three RBI, walking four times and hitting a double.
- Grochowski was 1-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, a walk, was hit by a pitch and stole a base.