EWING, N.J. (5/1/12) – The Kean University softball team opened defense of its back-to-back New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships with a 4-0 win over The College of New Jersey In a rematch of last season's championship game on Tuesday afternoon.

The #5 Cougars (24-17) advance to face #3 Rowan University, a 2-1 winner over #4 William Paterson University, on Friday, May 4, at the Montclair State Softball Stadium at 3 p.m.  The second-seeded Lions (23-14) will face #6 Ramapo College in an elimination game at 11 a.m. 

Kean has won its first round game as the lower seed in each of the last three tournaments. 

Rookie right-hander Courtney Yard allowed just two hits in the complete game shutout and drove in the first run of the game for the two-time defending champion Cougars. 

The Cougars took the 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, as junior second baseman Katie Schuh led off the inning with a walk and sophomore first baseman Kelly Moorehead had a one-out single to move Schuh into scoring position at second base.  Yard (pictured left) followed with the RBI single to score Schuh with the first run of the game.

An inning later, Kean extended the lead to 2-0 on the RBI single by sophomore left fielder Sandra Binkiewicz, as sophomore right fielder Megan Cegielski scored after leading the inning off with a single. 

The Cougars added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning on solo homeruns by freshman centerfielder Maria Scopellito and Schuh (pictured right). 

Yard had one strike-out, allowing no walks and just a lead-off single to centerfielder Liz Huttner in the second inning and a fourth-inning single to second baseman Ashley Sogluizzo. 

At the plate, Scopellito was 2-of-4 with one run scored and one RBI, while Binkiewicz added two hits and one RBI.  Schuh finished 1-of-3 with two runs scored and one RBI.