GLASSBORO, N.J. (5/1/15) – The Kean University softball team earned a hard-fought 2-0 victory in the second round of the NJAC Tournament over Rutgers-Camden on Friday. Senior pitcher Courtney Yard, who was crowned NJAC Pitcher of the Year on Thursday, earned the shutout victory - her seventh of the season.
The elimination game was tight. Neither side scored in the first four innings and the Scarlet Raptors had the go-ahead run on base in the final frame. But there were plenty of scoring chances.
Katie Garbarino led off the second inning for Kean with a ringing single over the second baseman's head. Cayleen Rizo sacrificed pinch runner Julianne Sosa to second, and Sosa moved to third when Amanda Berezny smacked a hard line-drive single into centerfield. But the Scarlet Raptors cut off a run at home on a bang-bang play on what would have been a passed ball and then got the next hitter to pop out to end the threat with the go-ahead run on third.
Emily Sabo launched a two-out double to the centerfield wall in the third inning, but was stranded on second when the frame ended. The Cougars were hitting the ball hard off Camden pitcher Brittany Scott, but through three she had been able to wiggle out of trouble.
Meanwhile, Yard (pictured left) was cruising along. She had surrendered just two hits through the first four innings and struck out six of Camden's first dozen outs. She finished the day with seven K's.
Rizo bombed a double to the left-centerfield gap in the bottom of the fourth, but again Kean was unlucky as the hit came with two outs and the team could not bring her around to score.
After the top of the fifth, Yard had retired eight Raptors in a row. Then in the home half of the inning, she stroked a two-out hit to leftfield. Sabo then put some pressure on the defense and laid down a bunt down the third base line. The throw was wide up the line, eluded two fielders and allowed Yard to come all the way around to score the first run of the day.
Kean scored another time in the sixth. Alexis D'Aloisio and Garbarino had hits to start the frame, and Berezny lifted a long sac fly to the centerfield warning track to score an insurance run and earn the game's only RBI.
Down to their last at-bat, Katie Larson and Scott led off the final frame for Camden with singles. The Raptors sacrificed them to second and third; Sabo made a great play at first base to hang onto a throw that glanced off the batter-runner as she was running up the firstbase line. After a walk, Camden had the bases loaded with just one out. But Tiffany Varriello made the next two plays at first base to preserve the shutout and send Kean to Round Three of the Tournament.
Kean will play tomorrow at noon in just one game against The College of New Jersey. If they win, the Cougars will need to win two games on Sunday to take the title.
Rutgters-Camden ends its season with a 21-13 record. Kean is now 24-10-1.
