Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CAMDEN, N.J. (April 26, 2014) – With one out in the top of the seventh inning of their doubleheader nightcap, the Rutgers University-Camden and Rutgers-Newark softball teams were pulled off the field thanks to a brief and sudden downpour here Saturday afternoon.
The delay was worth the wait for the Scarlet Raptors, who had been waiting since 2007 to return to the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs.
When play resumed, it took Rutgers-Camden just five minutes to nail down its victory, complete a 2-1 and 8-2 NJAC sweep over Rutgers-Newark, and qualify for the conference tournament for the first time since winning the crown in 2007.
On the last day of the regular season, Rutgers-Camden leapfrogged past Ramapo College, which was swept by Kean University, and claimed the sixth and final seed in the conference playoffs. The Scarlet Raptors will play a 4 p.m. game Tuesday at top-seeded William Paterson University to open the double-elimination tournament.
Rutgers-Camden, which went 9-9 in NJAC play, will bring a 17-14-1 record into the conference playoffs.
Rutgers-Newark closes its season 12-26 overall and 1-17 in the NJAC.
(Buena, NJ/Buena Regional) and catcher
Tabby Dick (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City), Dick caught a pair of complete-game performances by sophomore
Brittany Scott (Buena, NJ, Buena Regional). In the opening game, Scott scattered nine hits and one walk, while striking out five, to raise her record to 14-12. She allowed only one earned run in the second inning on a single by Newark sophomore second baseman
Vannessa Romero (Garfield, NJ/St. Mary-Rutherford) and a RBI double by freshman leftfielder
Krista Casale (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville).Rutgers-Camden quickly answered that run in the bottom of the second against sophomore pitcher
Jess Cannon (Newton, NJ/Newton). The Scarlet Raptors' sophomore centerfielder
Lindsay Day (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) opened the frame with a triple and scored on a one-out single by sophomore third baseman
Katie Larson (Delran, NJ/Delran). Rutgers-Camden scored the deciding run in the third following a leadoff ground rule double by Dick, who was sacrificed to third by sophomore second baseman
Cait Eltzholtz (Bellmawr, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). Scott's RBI single to right field plated her batterymate with the tie-breaking run.
Cannon (3-6) finished with a five-hitter, no walks and three strikeouts. She allowed two earned runs.
Dick had two of the Raptors' five hits.
For the Scarlet Raiders, Romero and senior rightfielder
Tina Zaggia (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) had two hits apiece.
Rutgers-Camden 8, Rutgers-Newark 2
Rutgers-Camden exploded for four runs in the first inning and three in the fifth on its way to clinching a playoff berth. After Newark freshman third baseman Anna Carlson (Jefferson, NJ/Jefferson) hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning, five hits and a walk helped the Raptor s erase that deficit in a four-run bottom of the frame. Dick sparked the rally with a leadoff ground rule double. A RBI fielder's choice by Scott tied the game before run-scoring singles from Day, Larson and Colon produced three more runs.
Senior catcher Gabby Spinella (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) cut the gap to 4-2 with a RBI single in the top of the fifth, but Rutgers-Camden answered with three runs on three hits, a walk and two run-scoring wild pitches. Day had a RBI single in the frame.
Day, Eltzholtz and Dick each had two hits in the second game for the Raptors, while Spinella had three hits and Carlson added two for Newark.
Scott (15-12) surrendered 11 hits and two earned runs, but didn't walk a batter and fanned seven.
Newark freshman Katie Boyd (Woodbury, NJ/West Deptford) worked the first five innings and took the loss to drop to 5-12. She allowed eight hits, three walks and seven earned runs. She struck out one.
