CAMDEN, N.J. (March 10, 2020) – Junior pitcher Sarah Byrnes tossed her second shutout in three days and freshman hurler Rachel White picked up her first collegiate victory as the Rutgers University-Camden softball team swept Gwynedd Mercy Academy, 4-0 and 11-5, in a non-conference doubleheader here Tuesday.
 
The second game was called with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning when a bank of lights went out at Rutgers-Camden Community Park, with darkness and rain approaching.
 
Rutgers-Camden improves to 3-1, while Gwynedd Mercy falls to 1-7.
 
The Scarlet Raptors are scheduled to travel to Florida for a spring break trip at the PFX Games in the towns of Clermont and Leesburg. The face Nebraska Wesleyan University (1 p.m.) and Nichols College (3:45 p.m.) on Saturday.
   
After tossing a season-opening 2-0 shutout over New Paltz on Sunday, Byrnes raised her record to 2-0 with a four-hit shutout against the Griffins. She allowed only singles in the second and fifth innings before allowing a pair of singles in the seventh. She walked one and struck out eight.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored all the runs she needed with a two-run second inning, sparked by a leadoff double by senior first baseman Marissa Beebe. One out later, freshman right fielder Jayden Hunter had an infield single and stole second base. Junior catcher Alexis Davis delivered a sacrifice fly to left field and when the throw from the outfield short-hopped the Griffins' catcher, Hunter scored on the error.
 
The Raptors added two unearned runs in the fourth off losing pitcher Alexis Gartner (1-3). Hunter reached on a two-out error and stole second. Davis singled to center and advanced to second as Hunter scored. Davis stole third and scored on an infield single by freshman second baseman Cate Petrucelli.
 
Beebe went 2-for-3 with one run scored for the Raptors, while Davis was 1-for-2 with one run and two RBIs.  
Rutgers-Camden exploded for seven hits and six runs in the first two innings after the Griffins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Byrnes. White finished the game, working five innings of eight-hit ball, as she collected her first collegiate victory. White (1-1) allowed four earned runs and three walks, while fanning six.
 
Sophomore left fielder Kimmy Musarra sparked the Raptors' two-run first inning that put Rutgers-Camden ahead to stay. She had a leadoff infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out by freshman center fielder Amelia Sims. One out later, Beebe walked and a successful double steal allowed Musarra to score the tying run. Byrnes singled home Beebe to put the Raptors ahead to stay.
 
The Raptors' four-run second inning started when the first six batters reached safely, beginning with a walk to Davis, who was thrown out at third base on a single by Petrucelli. Musarra, Sims, junior shortstop Nina Arroyo and Beebe all followed with singles, with Sims, Arroyo and Beebe notching one RBI apiece. White grounded out to plate the fourth run of the inning.
 
Leading, 6-1, the Raptors saw Gwynedd Mercy claw back into the game with four runs over the next two innings.
 
In the third, designated player Amanda Clark drilled a home run to right center. Clark added a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning, making it a 6-5 Raptor lead.
 
Rutgers-Camden countered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Beebe drilled a one-out single and went to third on a two-out double by senior third baseman Rachel Edwards. A walk to Hunter loaded the bases and Davis quickly plated all three runners with a double to left center. Davis scored on a single by Petrucelli.
 
Back-to-back doubles by Sims and Arroyo plated another Raptor run in the fifth inning. Rutgers-Camden had two runners on base with two outs in the sixth when the game was called after problems with the lights and rain starting to fall.
 
Rutgers-Camden's 14-hit attack included two hits apiece from Musarra, Sims, Arroyo, Beebe and Petrucelli. Davis notched three RBIs and Arroyo added two. The trio of Musarra, Sims and Beebe scored two runs apiece.
 
Clark went 2-for-3 with one run and four RBIs for Gwynedd Mercy.