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

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson softball team (19-5, 6-2 NJAC) swept New Jersey City (11-17, 2-6 NJAC) in six innings, 11-3 and 14-6, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) softball doubleheader April 10 at Pioneer Softball Field. 

GAME ONE
William Paterson capitalized on their scoring opportunities to beat NJCU in six innings, plating 11 runs on 13 hits against the Gothic Knights' just three runs on 11 hits.

After recording outs during its first two at-bats of the game, NJCU's Rebecca Satz doubled over the WP left fielder's head.  Freshman Nicole Calixto stepped to the plate and hit a hard grounder to sophomore shortstop Katelyn Miele (Flanders, N.J./Pope John XXIII), who did well to make the stop.  She attempted to make the out at first base, but her throw was in the dirt and got past freshman first baseman Jessica Phillips (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional), far enough to allow Satz to make the turn at third and score.

The Pioneers evened the score during the bottom half of the first inning.  Miele led off with a base hit to short and was sacrificed to second.  Following a popup, junior outfielder Samantha Mulderig (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) hit a sharp liner that the center fielder failed to get her glove down to stop it, a single and error that plated Miele.

Senior outfielder Stephanie Gomez opened the second with a single to second base and stole second.  The ball popped out of the fielder's glove when Gomez stole third, and she scampered home as it rolled towards second base.

WP struck back with a seven-hit, four-run third inning.  Back-to-back Miele and Christina Austin (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) singles and a sacrifice led to a two-run base hit off the bat of sophomore Rachel Cannata (Waldwick, N.J./Paramus Catholic).  Pinch runner/left fielder Kelsey Principe (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) crossed the plate via a Kelsey Hand (Mountainville, N.Y./Cornwall Central) single that dropped into shallow center field and a resulting error when Gomez's throw to third sailed out of play.  Senior center fielder Raquel Roder (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) later singled in Hand to make it a 5-2 game.

New Jersey City got one of those runs back with a Megan Ginter double and a Satz RBI-single during the top half of the fifth.  But, WP crossed home plate five times in the home half of the frame, three of them coming when freshman pinch hitter Melissa Swain (West Berlin, N.J./Paul VI) cleared the fence in left-center field for her second home run of the season for a 10-3 margin.

William Paterson scored the run to end the contest with a pair of hit by pitches and a run-scoring single by senior third baseman Jessica Maciolek (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) during the bottom of the sixth inning.

Miele and freshman catcher Lachelle Rouse (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) were both 2-for-3 at the plate.  Miele added three runs scored and a RBI, while Roder finished 2-for-4 and crossed the plate twice.

Hand got the start for the Pioneers and tossed 3.0 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and six hits.  Cannata picked up her third win of the season in relief, surrendering one run on six hits in 3.0 innings.

Ashley O'Beirne started for the Gothic Knights, yielding five runs (four earned) on ten hits in 2.2 innings, dropping her record to 6-10.  Jess Mucerino allowed six runs (five earned) on three hits and four walks in 2.2 innings in relief. 

GAME TWO
William Paterson plated six runs in the sixth inning of game two to defeat NJCU 14-6 in six innings.

NJCU scored a run in each of the first two innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead.  In the first, Mucerino singled and scored on a Calixto double.  In the second, Marissa Bariso blasted a home run to left field.

The Pioneers took the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits.  Sophomore Danielle Capozzi (Wanaque, N.J./Lakeland Regional) doubled, and scored on a two-base error by the center fielder.  Swain singled and came around to score on an error by the Gothic Knights' defense on a Laura Henriquez (Westampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) ground ball.  Henriquez then was able to race home on Rouse single.

The Gothic Knights scored another run in the third to tie the game at 3-3 when Ginter lead off with a double, and scored two batters later on a Satz single down the left-field line.

WP scored two in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.  Swain led off with a single, and later scored on a Henriquez triple to right-center.  Henriquez scored her second run of the game on a Rouse sacrifice fly to left.   

The Pioneers extended the lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth.  With two on and two out, Swain doubled to center field scoring Phillips, who had previously walked.  Roder then singled up the midde, scoring Swain and Capozzi who both had hits earlier in the inning.

NJCU closed the deficit to two, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth making the score 8-6.  Calixto singled to right field plating one, and errors on the Pioneer defense allowed the second and third runs of the inning to score.

The Pioneers scored six in the bottom of the sixth to end the game at 14-6.  Austin singled and later scored on a single off the bat of Swain.  The Pioneers added two more runs on NJCU wild pitches, and a Henriquez triple scored two, ending the game.    

Senior Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) improved to 10-2, yielding six runs (four earned) on seven hits in five innings, striking out four.  Kerrin Dys (North Arlington, N.J./North Arlington) pitched one inning, allowing no hits and stranding all inherited runners in the sixth. 

O'Beirne pitched 5.1 innings for the Gothic Knights, allowing 14 runs on 16 hits, dropping her record to 6-11.

Swain went 4-for-4 with two RBI and four runs scored, while Henriquez finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBI and two triples.

William Paterson will visit Staten Island for a doubleheader Thursday, April 12, at 3:30 p.m.