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

WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson (19-7, 9-3 NJAC) moved past idle Rowan into second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) softball standings with 7-6 and 8-3 victories against The College of New Jersey (20-10, 6-6 NJAC) on April 21.

With six regular-season games still to play, Montclair State (11-1) leads the NJAC rankings, followed by William Paterson, Ramapo (8-4) and Rowan (8-4). The top six teams will qualify for the NJAC Tournament that begins May 3.

GAME ONE
All seven of the Pioneers' hits were for extra bases as the Pioneers stormed back from an early 4-0 deficit for a 7-6 win.

TCNJ crossed the plate three times during its first at-bat. After getting the first two hitters out, the Pioneers gave up back-to-back singles to Kelly Hommen and Liz Huttner before Colleen Cawley doubled them both in. Katelyn Congilose then drilled a ball into the left-center gap, a two-bagger to score Cawley and hand the Lions an early 3-0 lead.

Cawley hit a one-out single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scampered home on a Congilose base hit up the middle, making it a 4-0 game in the top of the third. William Paterson answered with three runs of its own during the home half of the frame. Senior center fielder Jillian Mulderig (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) was hit by a pitch and freshman shortstop Katelyn Miele (Flanders, N.J./Pope John XXIII) walked to bring senior second baseman Lindsey Nadolny (Belford, N.J./Middletown North) to the dish. She bombed her second home run of the year into the outfield netting of the adjacent baseball stadium, pulling the Pioneers within one at 4-3.

Junior left fielder Raquel Roder (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) gave the Pioneers a 5-4 lead with her two-run homer to left, the first round-tripper of her career, to plate senior catcher Nicole Jimmerson (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) in the bottom of the fourth. WP added two more runs in the fifth, as senior first baseman Jenna Vitale (Kenilworth, N.J./David Brearley) and senior right fielder Heather Mendez (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) each went yard with solo blasts for a 7-4 advantage.

TCN rallied in the top of the sixth. Leadoff hitter Caitlyn Seamster reached on an error and was lifted for pinch runner Nicole Brodbeck. Michelle Kent doubled to put two runners in scoring position, and an error off the bat of Michelle Casale loaded the bags. WP got the first out of the inning at home plate on a grounder back to the pitcher, but Ashley Sogluizzo singled up the middle to drive in Kent. Hommen then hit a grounder to Nadolny at second that she picked up, tagged the runner and threw to first for the seemingly inning-ending double play, but the umpires called catcher's interference. No out was recorded and Hommen went to first, forcing across a run to make it a 7-6 score. Relief pitcher Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne), who entered to face Hommen, kept it a one-run game with a flyout and strikeout to end the inning.

Vitale was 2-for-3 with the solo home run, and Nadolny went 1-for-4 with her three-run homer. Sophomore starter Kelsey Hand (Mountainville, N.Y./Cornwall Central) allowed four hits and three runs in 0.2 innings, Vitale picked up the win with 4.2 innings of relief (4-2), giving up three runs, one earned, on eight hits. Graham earned the save with 1.2 innings of scoreless work.

Cawley and Congilose were both 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI for TCNJ. Junior Lauren Fitzsimmons fell to 6-2, pitching the complete game and surrendering seven runs on seven hits.

GAME TWO
Tied at 1-1 through three innings, the Pioneers scored six runs during their next two at-bats to pull away for an 8-3 victory.

Nadolny bunted for a single and was sacrificed to second before Mendez lined a ball that was misplayed by the Lion left fielder, a single and error that handed WP a 1-0 first-inning edge. Crystal Lee got the run right back for TCNJ when she was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored via a Hommen double during the bottom of the same frame.

A one-out error allowed Mendez to reach base in the top of the fourth, and a Jessica Warner (Runnemede, N.J./Triton) single put runners on the corners. Pinch runner Laura Henriquez (Westampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) advanced to second on defensive indifference, and Alexa Veniero (Belleville, N.J./Belleville) delivered a pinch-hit double off the fence in left, making it a 3-1 William Paterson lead.

The Pioneers exploded for four fifth-inning runs. Mulderig started things off with a base hit up the middle, and was sacrificed to second by Miele. Nadolny's single to left plated Mulderig, and Vitale's base hit back up the middle drove in Nadolny. Mendez walked and Roder doubled to left-center field, scoring both pinch runner Caitlyn Dean (Haskell, N.J./Lakeland Regional) and Mendez for a 7-1 margin.

WP tacked on a run in the seventh, using a Warner double and back-to-back singles from Roder and Jimmerson. The Lions crossed the plate twice during their final at-bat, as a Sogluizzo base hit delivered Kristen Lake and Corinne Minicozzi.

Nadolny was 2-for-4 and scored twice, while Roder finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Warner had a double as part of a 2-for-4 effort. Graham earned the complete-game victory (9-3), giving up three runs (two earned) and seven hits.

Seamster was 2-for-3 for the Lions. Alex Carisone took the loss, allowing seven runs, four of them earned, on eight hits in 4.2 innings inside the circle (7-4). Austin Leigh gave up five hits and one run in 2.1 innings.

William Paterson will play at Richard Stockton Friday, April 22, at 3:00 p.m.