GLASSBORO, N.J. (5/11/21) – Taryn DiGiacomo finished 4-for-7 with three RBI's at the plate, while striking out 10 batters over two victories in the circle as the fourth seed Kean University softball team advanced to their second straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Final with a doubleheader sweep of the top seed Rowan University on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Cougars advance to face the second seed College of New Jersey Lions in a best of three game series beginning on Friday. This will be a rematch of the 2019 NJAC final, which the Lions were declared the winners after mother nature cancelled the remainder of the tournament.

Kean 4, Rowan 2
Maria Bonfanti went 2-for-2 with two RBI's and a run scored, while DiGiacomo finished 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Cougars (24-7) battled back from a 2-1 deficit to take the opener.
Kean actually scored first with a Jenn Majorczak sacrifice fly in the top half of the third, but the Profs (27-6) answered with a two run triple in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.  

The Cougars regained the lead at 3-2 in the fourth with two runs coming off a Rowan defensive error from Sonia Sharma. Sharma's error allowed Paige Metz and Gianna Pickens to cross the plate on back-to-back at-bats. Metz scored when Bonfanti reached on the error and Pickens scored when DiGiacomo tallied a RBI sacrifice fly on the very next at-bat.

Bonfanti added an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI single to left center that scored Pickens.

DiGiacomo struck out seven batters in the complete game victory.

Kean 4, Rowan 2  
DiGiacomo went 2-for-4 with two RBI's, while Julie Raba, Maddie Carlson, Metz and Bonfanti all tallied two hits apiece as the Cougars (25-7) battled back from a two run deficit to defeat the Profs (27-7) in the nightcap.

Rowan took a 2-0 lead in the first with back-to-back RBI doubles. Kean tied the game in the second with one crack of the bat from DiGiacomo as the senior drove in two runs with an RBI single. Raba gave the Cougars their first lead of the game on the very next at-bat as the senior smacked an RBI single to left. Kean took a 3-2 advantage.

The Cougars added an insurance run in the fourth with an RBI fielder choice from Gabriella Fredette that allowed Raba to cross the dish.

DiGiacomo struck out three batters in the complete game victory.

Head Coach Margie Acker and the Cougars will look to capture their fourth conference title in a three game series with the Lions of TCNJ that begins on Friday at 2:00 p.m.