MAHWAH, N.J. (4/28/15) – The Kean University softball team fell 8-2 in the opening round of the NJAC Tournament on Tuesday at Ramapo College. Courtney Yard hit a two-run homerun to highlight the day for the Cougars.

Alexis D'Aloisio led off the second inning for Kean with a single into rightfield, but Ramapo third baseman Mikayla Melendez made a good play to catch a sacrifice bunt attempt and throw down to first to double-up the runner.

In the home half of the inning, Kean second baseman Emily Sabo ranged far to her left to make a diving catch that ended the Roadrunner frame.

In the fourth, Ramapo scored six times with the aid of two Kean errors. Melendez, Danielle Saporito, Kim LaPenta, Nicole Mahoney and Jaclyn Lima had RBIs in the frame for the Roadrunners.

Brooke Ennis smacked a double into the left-centerfield gap in the Kean sixth. With two outs, Ennis still on third and a full count, Yard (pictured left) lifted a towering shot over the leftfield fence to cut the Kean deficit to 6-2.

But Ramapo scored twice more in the bottom of the sixth to bump the cushion back up to six runs.

Katrina Buczkowski earned the win for the Roadrunners. The freshman hurler scattered four hits and, aside from Yard's dinger, kept the Cougars off the scoreboard. She struck out eight batters as Ramapo raised its record to 25-11-1. Kean is now 23-10-1.

The Cougars will return to action in the second round of the NJAC Tournament on Friday at 11 a.m. The rest of the Tournament's games will take place at the home at No. 1-seed Rowan University. Kean will take on No. 6 seed Rutgers-Camden in the second round of the double-elimination tournament.