Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics
The softball team increased their winning streak to nine straight games with another double-header sweep yesterday, 14-2 and 8-0, this one against the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University.
The Roadrunners have now won 12 of their last 13 games.
Ramapo opened up the scoreboard in the first inning, as Harper Patsko scored on a wild pitch. Mikayla Melendez followed with an RBI single up the middle, driving in Christina Brizek. Nicole Mahoney roped a single down the left field line, scoring Melendez and giving the Roadrunners a 3-0 lead.
After the Knights got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, Brizek answered back with a three-run home run to left-center in the top of the second, giving the Roadrunners a 6-1 lead.
Abby Spellman shredded a triple to right field in the top of the third, driving Grace Brennan.
NJCU got one back in the bottom of the fifth, but the Roadrunners answered back with a seven-run sixth inning. After Melissa Moreno scored on an error, Alex Rigoli walked with the bases loaded, followed by a Spellman double to center field, driving in two runs. Rigoli wound up scoring on yet another error by the NJCU defense, followed by a sac fly by Moreno. Melanie Walling finished up the scoring of the game with an RBI single to right, driving in Patsko.
Patsko went 2-3 on the day with three walks and an RBI, while Spellman went 3-3 with three RBIs. Brizek, Walling, Melendez, Mahoney and Brennan each had two hits on the day as well.
Katrina Buczkowski pitched another complete game for Ramapo, her eighth of the season, throwing six innings, letting up six hits and two earned runs, and striking out five. Buczkowski is now at a 5-3 record when at the mound.
The Roadrunners did not wait long to get the offense going again in game two, as RBI singles by Moreno and Mahoney gave the Roadrunners an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. In the third, Melendez doubled to left center, driving in Olivia Mahon. Brennan’s sac fly that inning drove in Melendez, giving the Roadrunners a 5-0 lead.
Two more runs were scored in the fifth inning on an error by NJCU, followed by a Melendez sac fly in the sixth inning to drive in Moreno, finalizing the 8-0 score.
Brizek earned her eighth victory on the season, throwing a complete game of six innings, letting up just two hits and striking out five. It was her fourth straight complete game.
Moreno and Melendez led the Roadrunners with two RBIs each, while Mahoney and Brennan each had a hit and an RBI.
Ramapo is back in action on Saturday when they will travel to Glassboro to face Rowan in a double-header starting at 1 p.m.
rmorik@ramapo.edu
