Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (April 23, 2017) – Rutgers University-Camden sophomore Jessica Thompson (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove) scattered 11 hits and struck out four to shut down Montclair State University, 5-2, in the opener of a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader here Sunday.
 
The Red Hawks came back to win the nightcap, 3-0, behind an eight-hit shutout by freshman Kiara Ruiz (Wharton, NJ/Morris Hills).
 
The split leaves Rutgers-Camden with a 13-19 record overall and a 5-9 mark in the NJAC, while Montclair State is 20-14 overall and 7-7 in conference play.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Tuesday with a 3 p.m. NJAC doubleheader at William Paterson University.
   
Thompson raised her record to 8-13 with a little help from her batterymate, junior catcher Mackenzie Mason (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove), who drilled a two-run double and later scored an unearned run as the Scarlet Raptors broke open a tight 2-1 lead with a three-run sixth inning.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored its first run in the fourth when junior leftfielder Gabrielle Castellini (Millville, NJ/Wildwood Catholic) singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Thompson walked and freshman shortstop Rachel Edwards (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) singled to load the bases. After a pair of fielder's choices resulted in putouts at the plate, Edwards scored on a wild pitch.
 
In the fifth, both teams scored runs, with the Raptors plating their run on back-to-back doubles by sophomore rightfielder Allie Jenkins (Delanco, NJ/Riverside) and Castellini. Moments after freshman third baseman Elene Radesich (White Plains, NY/Valhalla) doubled home Montclair State's first run to cut the cap to 2-1, Rutgers-Camden struck with its three-run frame. Sophomore designated player Kendra Pfister (Dacula, GA/Dacula) had a one-out infield single and advanced to second on a ground out. Senior centerfielder Megan Goodspeed (Florence, NJ/Florence) was hit by a pitch and both runners scored on Mason's double to center. An infield error scored Mason, and Montclair notched its final run in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Castellini went 2-for-4 with one RBI to lead the Raptors' eight-hit attack, while Mason was 1-for-3 with one run and two RBIs.
   
Ruiz worked out of jams constantly in the first five innings, as the Scarlet Raptors stranded 10 runners in those frames, before retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh innings to raise her record to 2-0. She stranded the bases loaded in both the second and fourth innings.
 
Montclair State scored single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings off Pfister, whose record dipped to 4-3. She worked five-plus innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and three earned runs. She struck out one.
 
Junior rightfielder Noel Hodgins (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) went 3-for-3 with one RBI to pace the Red Hawks, while freshman shortstop Blake Saperstein (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) went 2-for-3, including a leadoff home run in the sixth inning.
 
Nobody in the Raptors' lineup had more than one hit, although Edwards was 1-for-2 with a walk.