Box Score (Game #1) 
Box Score (Game #2)

CAMDEN, N.J. – William Paterson (21-13, 7-7 NJAC) earned a pair of critical victories at Rutgers-Camden (5-25-1, 1-13 NJAC), 5-0 and 4-2, April 19 to stay in the race for a berth to the NJAC Softball Tournament.

With the victories, the Pioneers are in sixth place in the conference standings, two games ahead of Richard Stockton (5-9) for the final NJAC Tournament spot with four regular-season games remaining.

Freshman Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley) threw a four-hit shutout in the opener, facing three batters above the minimum to improve to 5-4 on the season. Classmate Nicole Jimmerson (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) gave WP a 1-0 lead with a third-inning sacrifice fly, and the Pioneers tacked on three more runs in the fourth after an error and a two-run Kelly Lauter (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) single. Vitale drove in Lauter with a seventh-inning base hit for the game's final run.

Lauter was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI. Vitale helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 at the plate.

The Pioneers struck first during the night cap, crossing the plate twice in the bottom of the first after Jimmerson tripled. Rutgers-Camden tied the score with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but William Paterson was able to push across two runners in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a Jimmerson RBI-single and an Ana Abourashed (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) run-scoring double.

Jimmerson was 3-for-3 with a triple, three RBI and a run scored. Senior Diana Schraer (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) improved to 11-5 inside the circle, allowing four hits and two unearned runs with three strikeouts in 7.0 innings.

William Paterson will celebrate Senior Day when the Pioneers host Montclair State for a doubleheader Tuesday, April 22, at 3:00 p.m.