JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) softball program split its non-conference bout with Baruch on Thursday, March 26, at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
Game 1: Baruch 5, NJCU 4
NJCU (1-12) suffered three costly errors in game one while scattering eight hits. Danika Borza (Keyport, N.J./Keyport) and Jaeda Figueroa (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) each tallied two hits in the loss, while Natalie Rosales (Union City, N.J./Jose Marti STEM Academy) paced the team with 2 RBI. Borza (0-2) pitched a complete game with a career-high eight strikeouts.
Baruch (7-10) was led by Ava Lavery, who finished the game 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and two runs. In the circle, Reina Castro-Johnson (3-2) pitched a complete game with two strikeouts and four walks.
Baruch put the first tally on the board in the top of the first behind Lavery's single up the middle. The Gothic Knights answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame, thanks to Rosales' 2 RBI single up the middle that scored Borza and Figueroa.
Both teams went dormant for two innings before the scoring began again in the fourth. The Bearcats knotted the game at two before NJCU quickly took the lead back, 3-2, via a wild pitch. NJCU's lead didn't last long as Lavery struck again with an RBI single up the middle. The Bearcats followed that inning up with two runs in the fifth, thanks to a pair of errors by the Gothic Knights. Trailing by two and with the bases loaded in the seventh, NJCU was able to plate one run before Baruch collected the three outs to end the game.
Game 2: NJCU 9, Baruch 2
NJCU (2-12) used 9 hits to score 9 runs in the win over Baruch. Emma Grochowski (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) finished 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Rosales and Martin recorded 4 and 3 RBI each. In the circle, Martin (1-7) picked up her first win of the season with a three-strikeout complete game performance.
Baruch (7-11) had its offense slow down in game two, tallying just three hits in the game. Mina Barriga led the way, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
After a scoreless first inning, Baruch took an early lead in the top of the second, using an error to plate the opening run. The Bearcats doubled their tally in the third before NJCU plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. Rosales collected two of her four RBI in the third with a 2 RBI double.
The Gothic Knights exploded for five runs in the fourth behind a bases-clearing double by Martin. NJCU made a bid to enact the mercy rule but plated just one more run over the final innings to secure a 9-2 win.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Saturday, March 28, when they open New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play against Rutgers-Camden.
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