EWING, N.J. (4/23/17) – The No. 21 Kean University softball team topped the College of New Jersey 9-3 in the opener, but the Lions squeaked by 3-2 in the nightcap in an NJAC split on Sunday.

In game one, leadoff hitter Caroline Ratti keyed the Kean offense. She ran home on a passed ball in the first inning and earned an RBI on a sac fly in the second frame to make the score 2-0.

Jess McGuire hit a solo homer for the Lions in the third to cut the Kean lead in half, but Emily Sabo answered with her second homerun in a week – a two-run shot to left-centerfield that made the count 4-1.

In the sixth, Jacqueline Riley was batting with the bases loaded and drove in all three runners on a double to rightfield. Kean tacked on two final runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Cayleen Rizo.

Fracesca Pugliese knocked a two-run homer for TCNJ in the bottom half of the seventh, but Kean starter Shannon McMahon still cruised to the victory. She is now 16-1 on the season. She struck out two and allowed only four hits in the game.

TCNJ earned a 3-2 win in the nightcap, ending the Cougars' five-game win streak. McMahon returned to the circle to toss 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep the game close after Kean fell behind 3-0. Jess Santelli hit a two-run homer for the Lions in the first and TCNJ added another run in the second.

Dana Knapp (pictured left) and Riley had back-to-back doubles in the fourth to plate the first Kean run of game two, and Sabo drove in Rati in the next inning. But Kean had a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth and left two runners in scoring position as Sam Platt wiggled out of trouble to earn the save for the Lions.

Olivia Zengel reached base four times for Kean on Sunday.

Sabo tied Courtney Yard's Kean career record with the 69th base on balls in her career. She is also one run away from former teammate Megan Cegielski's career record of 136.

Kean will return home to host Senior Day on Tuesday against Stockton University beginning at 3 p.m.