UNION, N.J. – The William Paterson softball team (12-14, 5-7 NJAC) split a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) doubleheader at Kean (18-16, 8-4 NJAC) April 15. The Pioneers clinched a 4-3 victory in the opener before being defeated, 5-3, in game two.
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With two outs in the top of the first, the Pioneers had runners on the corners when junior Hailey Backo (Wallington, N.J./Wallington) struck out swinging but reached first on a wild pitch, allowing a run to score and give WP an early 1-0 lead.
- The Pioneers extended their lead in the top of the third. With the bases loaded, junior Lilah Guthy (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) singled through the right side to drive in a run before Allison Stein (Hewitt, N.J./West Milford) reached on a fielder's choice, and an error by Kean allowed another run to cross, making the score 3-0.
- Junior Taylor Palmieri (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) led off the fifth with a double to left field and advanced to third on sacrifice bunt. Guthy then grounded out to the pitcher, but Palmieri crossed home to push the lead to 4-0.
- Kean scored two runs in the bottom half of the fifth before adding another in the sixth to make it a one-run game (4-3).
- The Pioneers maintained their lead to seal the 4-3 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Palmieri batted 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
- She also pitched six innings with two strikeouts.
- Guthy finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.
- Sophomore Samantha Campos (River Edge, N.J./River Dell) recorded a stolen base and a run.
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Senior Courtney Schwark (Port Ewen, N.Y./Kingston) led off the first inning with a single and advanced to second on Campos sacrifice bunt. Shortway followed with a single to right, moving Schwark to third. Shortway was caught stealing second, but Schwark managed to cross the plate on the play to score the first run of the game (1-0).
- In the top of the sixth, Shortway reached second on a dropped fly ball by Kean before scoring on a Backo RBI double down the left field line to make it a two-run game (2-0).
- Kean responded in the bottom half of the sixth with five runs to take a 5-2 lead.
- In the top of the seventh, WP had a pair of runners in scoring position, setting up Schwark for an RBI single to cut the deficit to two (5-3).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Schwark went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Shortway hit 2-for-3 with one run scored.
- Backo finished 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI double.
UP NEXT:
- WP will host Lehman for a non-conference doubleheader Friday, April 18, at 12:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:
