BOX SCORE (Game #1)
BOX SCORE (Game #2)

MINNEOLA, FLA. – William Paterson (7-3) finished its stay at the NTC Softball Spring Games with a pair of victories March 22, defeating Oneonta State (2-5), 6-4 in nine innings, and Thomas College (2-4), 7-0.  

GAME ONE
Run-scoring singles from junior Kelsey Hand (Mountainville, N.Y./Cornwall Central) and sophomore Katelyn Miele (Flanders, N.J./Pope John XXIII) allowed WP to defeat Oneonta State, 6-4, in the ninth inning.

The Pioneers struck first when senior third baseman Jessica Maciolek (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) doubled in freshman left fielder Kelsey Principe (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) in the top of the second inning.

The Red Dragons went ahead with a fourth-inning two-run homer, but WP evened it up in the sixth when freshman Keanna Ross (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) delivered a pinch-hit single and freshman catcher Lachelle Rouse (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) sent her home with a base hit to right field.

Maciolek started the top of the eighth on second base and was sacrificed to third by Rouse.  Hand drew a pinch-hit walk and advanced to second on a groundout.  Miele singled in Maciolek, and freshman Jessica Phillips (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional) knocked in Hand for a 4-2 lead.

Oneonta State used a hit, sacrifice and error to tie the score during the bottom of the eighth.  William Paterson had senior center fielder Raquel Roder (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) on second to begin the ninth inning, and she moved to third thanks to Principe's bunt single.  Principe stole second, and after a groundout, Rouse walked to load the bases.  Hand drove in Roder with a base hit, and following a fielder's choice out at the plate, Miele scored Rouse with a single.

Miele was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI, Principe went 2-for-4 and scored a run, and Roder and Phillips each contributed a pair of hits.

Senior Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) tossed the complete game (3-1), striking out nine without issuing a walk, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits.

GAME TWO
WP scored during four of its six at-bats for a 7-0 win against Thomas.

Sophomore pitcher Rachel Cannata (Waldwick, N.J./Paramus Catholic) walked and was replaced by pinch runner Laura Henriquez (Westampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional), who later scored via a Roder RBI-single in the bottom of the second inning.

The Pioneers added a run in the third when Miele doubled, advanced to third on a groundout and trotted home on a Melissa Swain (West Berlin, N.J./Paul VI) base hit.

A Miele run-scoring double and RBI-singles by Phillips and Ross made it a 5-0 score in the fifth.  Roder was issued a sixth-inning leadoff walk, moved up two bases on passed balls and crossed the plate via a Mandy Muraca (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) groundout.  Three consecutive walks led to a Phillips run-scoring single.

Phillips finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while Miele was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a RBI and two runs scored.

Cannata (2-1) tossed a four-hit shutout, striking out four.

William Paterson will play its home opener Tuesday, March 27, against NYU Poly Tech at 3:00 p.m.