Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CAMDEN, N.J. (April 29, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Camden softball team closed its season paying tribute to Jalene Garcia (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) and Megan Goodspeed (Florence, NJ/Florence) on Senior Day here Saturday.
 
The Scarlet Raptors also nearly celebrated by upsetting one of the better teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, but Kean University outlasted Rutgers-Camden, 3-2, in the opening game and broke open a close nightcap in the late innings to take a 5-1 victory.
 
Kean, 29-7 overall and 12-6, moves into the NJAC playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Rutgers-Camden closes its season with a 13-23 record overall and a 5-13 mark in the conference.
 
Garcia was a three-year letterwinner with the Scarlet Raptors after opening her collegiate career at Albright College. Goodspeed spent two years at Burlington County College before joining the Scarlet Raptors' program as a junior.
   
In the first game, Kean scored all three of its runs in the third inning, aired by four hits and one walk. They were the only four hits that Raptor sophomore Jessica Thompson (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove) allowed in the game. Thompson (8-15) walked two and struck out three in her 15th complete game of the season.
 
Rutgers-Camden made Kean senior Shannon McMahon (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) work hard before she raised her record to 18-2 with a four-hitter of her own. She walked one, struck out two and allowed only one earned run.
 
The Raptors scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning when Goodspeed reached on an error to open the frame and was sacrificed to second by junior catcher Mackenzie Mason (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove). Freshman shortstop Rachel Edwards (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) singled her to third and she scored on a fielder's choice by junior leftfielder Gabrielle Castellini (Millville, NJ/Wildwood Catholic), beating the throw home on an infield grounder.
 
With two outs in the third, Kean strung four hits and a walk together for all its runs. Sophomore rightfielder Caroline Ratti (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) singled and stole second. Senior second baseman Emily Sabo (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) walked and sophomore shortstop Cayleen Rizo (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) plated the tying run with a single to center. Senior centerfielder Dana Knapp (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) singled to left center, plating Sabo and sophomore Jacqueline Riley (South Amboy, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) followed with a RBI single to score Rizo. A line out to Edwards at shortstop ended the frame and Thompson set the side down in order the rest of the way, retiring her last 13 batters.
 
Camden cut the gap to 3-2 in the fourth after a leadoff bloop single by sophomore rightfielder Allie Jenkins (Delanco, NJ/Riverside) was followed with a bunt single by junior first baseman Mariah Hans (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights). The runners moved up on a sacrifice by junior third baseman Gabby Pfeiffer (Mount Holly, NJ/Rancocas Valley). Garcia, playing in her 100th career game at Rutgers-Camden, plated Jenkins with a ground out.
 
Rutgers-Camden's only other runner the rest of the way was Edwards, who hit a one-out single in the fifth and pinch-runner Paige Neilson (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) stole second. McMahon worked out of the jam and retired the side in order in the seventh inning.
 
Edwards, who went 2-for-3, was the only player in the game with multiple hits.
   
With the score tied at 1-l late in the second game, the Cougars pushed across the go-ahead tally in the top of the sixth inning after Riley opened with a single off Raptor sophomore Kendra Pfister (Dacula, GA/Dacula). Freshman pinch-runner Tatiana Yourstone (Edison, NJ/Edison) was sacrificed to second by sophomore catcher Samantha Krakower (Palisades Park, NJ/Immaculate Conception) and advanced to third on a single by senior third baseman Amanda Berezny (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills). Senior Sara Vocisano (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) laid down a perfect squeeze bunt that ended up being an RBI single to score Yourstone.
 
Kean added three runs in the top of the seventh on two hits, three walks and a hit batsman. Riley added an RBI single in the frame.
 
Riley, Sabo and Berezny had two hits apiece for the Cougars, while freshman Taryn DiGiacomo (Saddle Brook, NJ/Saddle Brook) hurled a four-hitter to raise her record to 11-5. She allowed two walks, struck out four and surrendered only a fourth-inning run on a walk and two singles, including a RBI hit by Castellini.
 
Pfister (4-4) took the loss, allowing four hits, four walks and four earned runs in 2.2 innings of relief work. Thompson pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and one run. She struck out two.
 
In addition to Castellini's RBI single, the Raptors also received singles from Mason, Edwards and sophomore pinch-hitter Dannie Dinsfriend (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee).