UNION, N.J. (3/24/18)- Julie Raba went 3-for-7 with two RBI's, one run scored and one double as the #20 Kean University softball team split a doubleheader with the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland at Cougar Field on Saturday afternoon.
GAME 1: Cortland 6, #20 Kean 1 (8 Inn.)
The Cougars (11-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped when a five-run top of the eighth inning handed Kean their second loss of the season. Raba went 2-for-4, while Olivia Zengel, Cayleen Rizo, Erin Hollyfield and Jacqueline Riley all went 1-for-4.
The Cougars got on the scoreboard first when Maria Bonfanti reached on an RBI fielder choice, which allowed Tatiana Yourstone to cross the plate. Yourstone pinch ran for Riley who led off the bottom half of the inning with a double to left center.
The Red Dragons (6-5) evened the contest at 1-1 in the fourth after a Skyler Holt RBI single drove in Andrea Schoonmaker. The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 into the eighth, where Cortland put Kean into a deep hole with five runs on five hits to take a 5-1 advantage.
Kean was unable to respond in the bottom half of the eighth as they went down 1-2-3 to end the game.
Riley took her first loss in the circle with one strikeout in a complete game. Sam Van Dorn improved to 4-2 with three strikeouts in the complete-game victory.
GAME 2: #20 Kean 4, Cortland 1
Raba went 1-for-3 with two RBI's and one run scored, while Rizo went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Kaitlin Stahlbrand went 1-for-2 with an RBI and one run scored as Kean (12-2) bounced back with a 4-1 victory.
Stahlbrand improved to 4-1 overall with two strikeouts and only one earned run in the complete-game victory. The junior held the Red Dragons to just three hits over seven innings in earning the decision.
The Cougars did all their damage in the bottom of the fifth with four runs on six hits to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Stahlbrand, Raba, and Rizo all tallied RBI's in the inning as Kean never surrendered the lead from that point on.
Cortland (6-6) was able to get a run back in the sixth as Schoonmaker scored again when she was driven home by Ericka Sadowski.
Joelle Salisbury fanned five in the loss for the Red Dragons.
Head Coach Margie Acker and the Cougars will return to action on Wednesday, Mar. 28th, hosting a doubleheader with the Griffins of Gwynedd-Mercy University, beginning at 3:00 p.m.