Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – Third-seeded William Paterson (27-8, 14-4 NJAC) earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory against fourth-seeded Ramapo (26-7, 12-6 NJAC) in the opening round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Softball Tournament May 3 at Pioneer Softball Field.
Top-seeded Rowan will host the remainder of the double-elimination tournament Friday-Sunday, May 6-8. William Paterson will play fifth-seeded The College of New Jersey Friday at 3:00 p.m., while Ramapo will face sixth-seeded Kean at 1:00 p.m. Rowan and second-seeded Montclair State will meet in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m.
The Pioneers manufactured the game's only run during the bottom of the second inning. Senior right fielder
Heather Mendez (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) drew a leadoff walk and classmate
Nicole Jimmerson (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech) dropped a one-out single into right field before junior third baseman
Jessica Maciolek (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter
Jessica Warner (Runnemede, N.J./Triton) lifted a ball into right field, a sacrifice fly that scored Mendez for a 1-0 William Paterson advantage.
William Paterson had runners on second and third with one out in the third after a leadoff double by senior second baseman
Lindsey Nadolny (Belford, N.J./Middletown North), an error and a sacrifice, but Ramapo starter Lauren Shaw got a popup and a strikeout to keep WP from adding to its lead. The Roadrunners responded with two singles to open the top of the fourth, giving them runners on the corners with zero outs, but Pioneer starter
Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) worked out of the jam with a pair of infield popups and a strikeout.
Graham retired 12 of the final 14 hitters, and finished the contest with four strikeouts, scattering seven hits without walking a Roadrunner to improve to 13-4.
Shaw suffered her first loss of the season (5-1) despite allowing just four Pioneer hits. She walked four and struck out two. Freshman DP Caitlin Smith was the only player for either team to have a multi-hit effort, finishing 2-for-4.
