Box Score
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – A three-run rally in the top of the seventh wasn't enough as the William Paterson softball team (22-19) lost in its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament opener at No. 6 Montclair State (38-3), 6-5, April 30. The Pioneers will resume NJAC Tournament play Friday, May 2, facing Kean in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. at MSU.
The first four runs of the game all scored via the long ball, with WP striking first thanks to an
Ana Abourashed (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) blast over the scoreboard in left-center in the top of the second. The Red Hawks answered with solo shots by Kelly Karp and Jackie Ferranti during the second and third innings, respectively, giving MSU a 2-1 edge.
Pioneer freshman pitcher
Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley) hit her second home run of the year, a solo round-tripper to right-center, to knot the score at 2-2 in the fifth. Montclair State then played small ball, using three singles and two Pioneers errors to pull ahead, 4-2, in the home half of the inning.
A Kelly Nance solo homer and a Ferranti RBI-double made it a 6-2 Red Hawk lead in the sixth. Facing their final at-bat, the Pioneers began the seventh with a
Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) single, followed by
Kelly Lauter's (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) home run over the fence in left-center, pulling within two at 6-4. Vitale then drew a walk and
Rayna Caruso (Madison, N.J./Madison) singled, putting the go-ahead run at the plate with zero outs. Abourashed's fielder's choice resulted in runners at the corners with one out, and
Nicole Jimmerson's (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) grounder plated Vitale but put out Abourashed at second, leaving a runner on first with two outs in a 6-5 game. Red Hawk reliever Elia Persico was able to finally get out of the jam, inducing a come-back grounder to end the rally a run short.
Caruso was 2-for-4 with a double, the only multi-hit effort for the Pioneers. Abourashed, Vitale and Lauter each hit home runs as four of WP's seven hits were for extra bases. Ferranti, Maureen Shockley and Leslie Gonzalez each had a pair of hits for MSU.
Vitale pitched the complete game for William Paterson, allowing 10 hits and six runs (four earned) to fall to 6-6. NJAC Pitcher of the Year Carolyn McCrea improved to 20-2, while Persico picked up her fifth save of the year.
