Box Score 

GLASSBORO, N.J. – Despite being on the wrong end of a 5-0 score after two innings, No. 22 William Paterson (31-7) never panicked in its second-round New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Softball Tournament game against The College of New Jersey (24-16). Instead, the league's best offensive team eventually exploded for 14 runs and 15 hits during its next three at-bats as the Pioneers rallied to defeat the Lions, 14-6 in five innings, May 1 at Rowan University.

The second-seeded Pioneers will face the winner of an 11:00 a.m. elimination game between top-seeded Rowan and TCNJ on Saturday, May 2, at 4:00 p.m. William Paterson is a perfect 2-0 so far during the double-elimination NJAC Tournament.

After No. 16 Rowan and TCNJ square off at 11:00 a.m., fourth-seeded Ramapo and sixth-seeded Montclair State will meet in another elimination game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The schedule and format for the final day of the tournament will be determined after the completion of Saturday's three games.

For the Pioneers, sophomore Lindsey Nadolny (Belford, N.J./Middletown North) was 2-for-4, drove in five runs and crossed the plate twice herself. Her inside-the-park grand slam helped to ice the win in the bottom of the fifth. Six other William Paterson players each had two hits. Sophomore Kerrie Mascarelli (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) threw 3.1 innings of gutsy relief to improve to 9-0 inside the circle this season.

The Lions seized early control of the contest during the top of the first inning, when TCNJ pushed across four two-out runs. Freshman Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne), who had walked just four batters in 100.0 previous innings, uncharacteristically walked a pair of Lions to bring Caitlyn Seamster to the plate, and she drilled a double to center field, driving in both runners. Rachel Greeby then hit a single down the left-field line to score Seamster, and a soft single to right field by Danielle Hagel plated Greeby, for a 4-0 score.

Kelly Armstrong's home run to straight-away center field handed TCNJ a 5-0 advantage with two outs in the top of the fifth, chasing the William Paterson ace.

The Pioneers stormed back in the home half of the third. With one out, sophomore Jillian Mulderig (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) beat out a throw on an infield single, and following a groundout to the first baseman, junior Christina Zippler (Blackwood, N.J./Washington Twp.) sent her home when she laced a triple to right-center field. Nadolny then lined a double over the left fielder's head to score Zippler, and classmate Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley) singled up the middle to drive in Nadolny and make it a 5-3 score. Sophomore Nicole Jimmerson's (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) RBI-double to dead center scored Vitale and ended TCNJ starter Ashley Minervini's day with the Lions clinging to a 5-4 lead. Freshman Lauren Fitzsimmons entered the circle and promptly gave up a RBI-single up the middle to sophomore Heather Mendez (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge), knotting the score at 5-5, before classmate Ashlie Gaynor (Berlin, N.J./Eastern) drilled a grounder into right field and scored Mendez, handing William Paterson its first lead of the game at 6-5.

Armstrong's double, coupled with an Ellen Seavers single off the glove of Mascarelli, tied the game at 6-6 in the fourth.

William Paterson put the game away, and itself in the driver's seat in the NJAC Tournament bracket, with an eight-run fifth inning. Jimmerson lined a single to right field to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by Mendez before a Gaynor single gave the Pioneers runners at the corners. Pinch runner Danielle DeDomenico (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) was inserted at first as Lacey Santone (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) strode to the plate. After the first pitch thrown to the WP shortstop, TCNJ catcher Michelle Kent stepped back from the plate and attempted the snap throw down to third, but the ball hit Santone's bat and squirted away, giving Jimmerson enough time to scamper home and break the tie. Santone eventually walked and Mulderig hit a grounder to third baseman Rachel Greeby, who could not beat DeDomenico to the bag, loading the bases for Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex). The NJAC Player of the Year hit a popup to the edge of the outfield grass for the second out of the inning, but it was deep enough for the speedy DeDomenico, and she scored via the sacrifice fly. Zippler's single through the left side of the infield again loaded the bases, and Nadolny made the Lions pay with an inside-the-park, stand-up grand slam on a ball hit to the base of the fence in right field.

With the score 12-6, Vitale singled and Jimmerson was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for a base-clearing double off the bat of Mendez to end the game via the eight-run mercy rule.

Mendez drove in three runs, Jimmerson crossed the plate three times herself, and Zippler, Nadolny and Mulderig each scored a pair of runs.

Minervini gave up five runs on six hits during 2.2 innings as TCNJ's starter. Fitzsimmons took the loss in relief (9-4), surrendering four runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Alex Sietsma allowed five runs before recording the final out for the Lions inside the circle. Armstrong led TCNJ offensively with a 2-for-3 effort, including the solo home run.