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

CENTER VALLEY, PA. – The No. 21 William Paterson softball team (29-9) finished its non-conference slate with a 4-1, 3-4 split at DeSales (14-22) April 26.

GAME ONE
A pair of home runs helped the Pioneers start the day with a 4-1 victory.

Freshman first baseman Jessica Phillips (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional) put the Pioneers on the scoreboard with a solo homer down the left-field line, her first career round-tripper, during the top of the fourth inning.  Senior third baseman Jessica Maciolek (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) walked and freshman catcher Lachelle Rouse (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) doubled her in, making it a 2-0 score.

Carly Bartholomew hit a solo shot of her own to cut the lead in half at 2-1 during the home half of the sixth, but the Pioneers tacked on a pair of insurance runs during their next at-bat.  Sophomore shortstop Katelyn Miele (Flanders, N.J./Pope John XXIII) hit a one-out single and senior outfielder Raquel Roder (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) drilled her second homer in 10 days, a two-run bomb down the left-field line.

Roder was 2-for-4 with two RBI and the home run, while Phillips finished 2-for-4 with her solo jack.  Senior Michele Graham (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) earned her 15th victory of the season (15-3) while carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning.  She struck out five and allowed a pair of hits.

GAME TWO
Two Bulldog runs during the home half of the sixth inning allowed DeSales to rally for a 4-3 win during the day's second contest.

Junior outfielder Samantha Mulderig (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) started the contest with a base hit to the shortstop, and freshman second baseman Christina Austin's (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) bunt resulted in an infield single.  Miele walked to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Phillips' groundout to the left side was enough to plate Mulderig and hand WP a 1-0 advantage.

WP built a 3-0 lead in the fourth.  Roder led off with a single through the left side of the infield, and after a groundout moved her to second base, she scored thanks to a Rachel Cannata (Waldwick, N.J./Paramus Catholic) RBI-single to right-center field.  Freshman Keanna Ross (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) entered to run for Cannata, and two batters later sophomore designated player Danielle Capozzi (Wanaque, N.J./Lakeland Regional) knocked her in with a double to right center.

DeSales strung together four singles, including a squeeze play, to score a pair of runs during the bottom half of the fourth.  The Bulldogs then took the lead with two scores during the bottom of the seventh inning, cashing in on a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded single to center field.

The Pioneers had the tying run on second base with one out in the top of the seventh, but a line-out double play ended the game.

Roder was 2-for-3 and scored a run, while Austin went 2-for-4.  Cannata took the loss (5-3) as she was responsible for all four runs scored (three earned) in 5.0 innings.  Graham recorded the final three outs for WP inside the circle.

William Paterson will celebrate Senior Day when it hosts No. 12 Montclair State Saturday, April 28, in the regular-season finale at 1:00 p.m.