CAMDEN, N.J. (April 13, 2021) – The College of New Jersey softball team entered Tuesday's doubleheader as the hottest team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, but Rutgers University-Camden proved once again it can play with the best the NJAC has to offer.
 
The Scarlet Raptors won a tight opening game, 2-1, before the Lions bounced back to break open a scoreless game and post a 5-0 victory. The split leaves Rutgers-Camden with a 5-5 record overall and a 5-3 mark in the NJAC. TCNJ, which entered the day on a seven-game winning streak, stands at 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the NJAC.
 
Rutgers-Camden travels to Kean University for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
   
Senior pitcher Sarah Byrnes fashioned a five-hitter in a tight pitchers' duel against the TCNJ combination of Eliza Sweet and Ally Schlee. Byrnes struck out six, didn't walk a batter and allowed only one unearned run in the fifth inning, when the Scarlet Raptors made both of their errors in the game.
 
Sweet (1-2) worked 4.1 innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and one walk for the Lions, while striking out four. Schlee hurled 1.2 perfect relief innings, striking out one.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored a first-inning run when senior shortstop Nina Arroyo hit a one out single, moved to second on a ground out by Byrnes, and scored on a single by senior first baseman Marissa Beebe. The Scarlet Raptors added the eventual winning run in the third inning on consecutive singles by junior center fielder Kimmy Musarra, Arroyo and Byrnes. Musarra, who had stopped at third on the Byrnes single, scored when Arroyo was retired in a rundown.
 
Arroyo went 2-for-3 with one run scored as the only player on either team to get multiple hits in the game.
   
The second game was a scoreless contest into the sixth inning, as TCNJ senior Alanna Namit (4-0) ended up spinning a three-hit shutout, walking five and striking out six. Matching zeros on the scoreboard was the Rutgers-Camden combination of Byrnes and sophomore Rachel White. Byrnes pitched a scoreless first inning before White came in for 3.1 shutout innings of three-hit ball, walking three and striking out one.
 
When TCNJ threatened in the fifth inning, Byrnes returned to the mound and worked out of a jam, keeping the game scoreless until the sixth. In that frame, the Lions sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five unearned runs off Byrnes, aided by five hits and two costly errors. Freshman shortstop Julia Kinnally opened the frame with a double and ended it with a strikeout. Between those at bats, the Lions loaded the bases and scored a pair of runs on errors. An infield single by sophomore right fielder Kaci Neveling plated another run and senior Lauren Conroy capped the scoring with a two-run single.
 
Byrnes (5-4) ended up pitching 3.2 innings, allowing six hits – three of them that didn't leave the infield – and five unearned runs. She struck out one and didn't walk anyone.
 
The Raptors' three hits were singles by Arroyo, senior catcher Alexis Davis and sophomore second baseman Cate Petrucelli.