By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The Lions put together an impressive weekend, winning two games against Montclair State University and splitting a doubleheader with a talented Rowan University squad.
The College entered the weekend at a respectable 16-8, but after having dropped five of their last eight games, they looked to make a statement in their upcoming doubleheaders against Montclair State and the nationally ranked Rowan Profs.
The Redhawks of Montclair limped into the games at 12-14, desperately trying to string together enough wins to get over the .500 mark, but it would be a tough task going against ace sophomore pitcher Elizabeth Gosse, who had only allowed more than one earned run in just one start going into the game. That is a more than impressive stat, considering this would mark her 13th start of the year.
The story of the early game was the Lion offense, who put up four runs in the opening three innings, including RBIs from fifth-year Kaci Neveling and sophomore Camryn Kitchin. The College finished with seven hits and had a stout defensive effort, committing zero errors in comparison to the mistake-ridden Redhawks, who committed three. Two of those three errors led to Lion runs.
As for Gosse, it was another masterclass, going all seven innings and allowing just one earned run and four baserunners, bringing her earned run average down to just 1.83 on the season. She got the victory, her sixth of the year, as the Lions took game one 4-2.
The latter half of the doubleheader did not seem to come as easy for the College, as the game was a 0-0 stalemate through the first three innings.
Freshman pitcher Maya Knasiak one-upped Gosse, having the best performance of her season in a complete game shutout that included nine strikeouts and just two hits. Her stellar performance brought her ERA down to just 2.54.
In the fourth and fifth innings, the Lions finally broke through, scoring four runs. Funny enough, it was Knasiak who decided she was done waiting for run support, so she got the scoring started with a two-run single to put the Lions ahead. Senior catcher Julia Mayernik chipped in with an RBI double to put the finishing touches on as the College swept the doubleheader, winning 5-0 in the second game.
On Tuesday, there was a much more formidable foe for the College. The Rowan Profs were traveling to Ewing, having won a ridiculous 18 of their last 19 games. They entered the contest at 24-6, with a staggering 9-1 conference record. Deservedly so, they were ranked No. 14 in the country heading into the matchup.
In a low-scoring affair, the Lions got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning. A solo homerun from Kitchin gave the College a one-run lead they would need to hold against the scary Rowan offense, who average over 6.5 runs per game.
The Lions called upon Gosse again, and she delivered, going the first six innings without allowing a single run. However, in the seventh and final inning, the College committed a costly error that allowed two runs to score and surrendered the lead.
Now trailing 2-1 with just three outs left, the Lions needed at least one run to keep the game going. After a hit by pitch followed by a walk, Mayernik stepped to the plate and ripped a double into left field, delivering a walk-off hit as the Lions bested the Profs, 3-2.
The College would look for more magic in the second game, but Rowan had no interest in keeping things close. The Lions kept things respectable in the first four innings, trailing by just three runs, but imploded in the fifth and final inning, as the Profs put up seven runs to win the game 10-0.
Regardless, the Rowan win was a big-time win for the Lions, who now stand at 19-9 with six games remaining in the regular season. Their next matchup has them traveling to Jersey City to face New Jersey City University on April 20.
