MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The William Paterson softball team (13-6-1, 4-2 NJAC) earned a doubleheader sweep at Montclair State (5-13, 0-6 NJAC) April 6, 4-0 and 10-6 in eight innings.
 
Game One
Senior catcher Lachelle Rouse (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) went 2-for-3 with a home run to help lead WP to an opening 4-0 victory.
 
The Pioneers scored once during the top of the first inning when senior center fielder Kelsey Principe (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) hit a one-out triple to right center and senior designated player Keanna Ross (Pine Hill, N.J./Overbrook Senior) knocked her in with a base hit to left.
 
Rouse led off the fifth with her first career home run, and William Paterson added two more scores in the seventh when back-to-back doubles by freshman second baseman Kaitlyn Poretti (Florence, N.J./Florence Memorial) and Rouse were followed by a pinch-hit RBI-single to center by senior Kerrin Dys (North Arlington, N.J./North Arlington).
 
Rouse had a pair of RBI and two runs scored, while Ross was 1-for-3 and drove in a run. Sophomore pitcher Allison Podmajersky (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) threw a complete-game two-hitter (4-3), striking out nine and walking three.
 
Junior Brooke Powers suffered the loss (3-9), allowing four runs on six hits with one strikeout and two walks.
 
Game Two
The Pioneers led early and then rallied late for a 10-6, eight-inning victory to finish the sweep.
 
Principe put down a one-out bunt single, Ross dropped a base hit into left field and sophomore shortstop Rachel Wasilak (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) singled to right for a 1-0 WP lead in the first.
 
Three straight singles by Poretti, sophomore pitcher Meghin Stanton (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional) and sophomore right fielder Nicole Fryer (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South) made it a 2-0 score in the second.
 
The Red Hawks used a base hit, sacrifice and Alana Luna double to cut the margin to 2-1 during the bottom half of the second inning.
 
With one out in the third, an error allowed sophomore catcher Kim Fryer (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South) to score all the way from first base and extend William Paterson's lead to 3-1. But, MSU got the run back during the home half of the same frame, thanks to a Melissa Rustemeyer RBI-single with runners on the corners and two outs.
 
A two-out single by Nicole Fryer and three consecutive bases on balls issued to Principe, Ross and Wasilak forced across a run in the top of the fourth, making it a 4-2 margin, but Montclair State again pulled to within one, using a Brianna Davidson run-scoring single during the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
The Red Hawks took their first lead at 5-4 in the sixth, thanks to a Sophia Ivezaj leadoff triple, a Lauren Guillen infield single, a Noel Hodgins run-scoring base hit to center field and a Melany Zeller RBI-groundout.
 
The Pioneers forced extra innings with a single run during the top of the seventh inning. Kim Fryer drew a one-out walk and Rouse delivered a pinch-hit single to center. Freshman third baseman Sam Rothenberger's (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) single to left field loaded the bases for Poretti, who plated Kim Fryer with a fielder's choice.
 
WP blew the game open with a five-run eighth. Sophomore pitcher Gabrielle Castelli (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) started the inning on second base and advanced to third via Nicole Fryer's bunt single. Fryer stole second before both runners scored thanks to Principe's double to the left-center gap, and a Ross infield single was followed by Wasilak's two-run double into center field. Kim Fryer sacrificed Wasilak to third, and she touched home after a wild pitch.
 
Guillen doubled in Ivezaj to finish the scoring during the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Principe finished 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a pair of runs scored, and Nicole Fryer was 3-for-5 and added one RBI and two runs scored. Wasilak went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs.
 
Starter Stanton tossed a total of 3.0 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with one strikeout. Dys pitched 2.0 innings and gave up five hits and two runs, walking one, and Castelli picked up the victory (6-3) by throwing the final 3.0 innings, surrendering one unearned run and two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
Davidson led MSU at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Rebecca Coleman fell to 2-4, giving up 15 hits and 10 runs (eight earned) with four strikeouts and five walks.
 
William Paterson will host No. 24 Kean Tuesday, April 7, at 3:00 p.m.
 
For all of the latest information on the Pioneers, visit http://www.wpupioneers.com and http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia.