Racing to stay towards the top of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), Ramapo’s softball team struggled to keep pace last week, dropping two games against Rowan University on Thursday and splitting against Stockton University on Saturday’s Senior Day. The Roadrunners now stand at 24-7 overall and 8-6 in the conference.
Falling to Rowan does not come as a major surprise for Ramapo, as the Profs are ranked as the No. 2 team in the country with their 35-1 record, including being 13-1 in NJAC play. In game one, Ramapo kept it close, holding a 2-1 lead until the fourth inning, where Rowan’s offense exploded for four runs. Marissa DiPaolo got the start for the Roadrunners, allowing nine hits and five runs in six innings.
Rowan’s 5-2 lead held for the rest of the game as the Roadrunner offense was shut down in the final five innings of play. Rylee Lutz was in the circle for the Profs, throwing seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits with three strikeouts. The loss snapped a mini two-game win streak for the Roadrunners and bumped them down to fourth in the conference standings.
In game two, Rowan pegged Ramapo’s Kassy Stefanski with four runs in the first inning, despite Stefanski not allowing an extra-base hit. The Profs’ offense got on base with a series of walks and singles, sending 12 batters to the plate in that inning. From that point on, Ramapo couldn’t catch up offensively.
Ramapo’s lone run came in the top of the fourth inning when Ysabellah Otero roped a double to left-center that scored Kori Gargiulo. Brooke Knight came on in relief for Stefanski in the third inning, and she had one of her best performances of the season. Knight didn’t allow an earned run and retired 17 of the 20 batters she faced.
Sunday’s set against Stockton came after a celebration of Ramapo’s four graduating seniors. Katie Rygiel, Ramapo’s hit queen, was honored along with her teammates Otero, DiPaolo and Sara Cappetti. Despite the pregame ceremony, the Roadrunners struggled offensively in the first game, being held to just one hit by Stockton’s Nerina Tramp.
DiPaolo got the start for the Roadrunners, and she was exceptional, allowing one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts. Despite the effort, the Osprey’s lone run was enough to propel them to the 1-0 victory.
In game two, the two teams flipped the switch, with Ramapo edging out a 1-0 victory. The Roadrunners got on the board in the first inning with a Garguilo single that scored Rygiel, and that’s all Ramapo needed for the day.
Stefanski started for the Roadrunners, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing five hits with zero walks and two strikeouts. Knight came on in relief and threw a perfect inning to record her fourth save of the season. The win was important for the Roadrunners as it kept Ramapo ahead of both Stockton and Montclair State in the standings.
Ramapo has just two games remaining this season, a doubleheader at Kean University on Saturday. It’s likely that the set of games will play a major impact on where Ramapo places in the NJAC playoffs. Ramapo currently trails third place Kean by two games in the standings, so a sweep would even things up.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Nitin Shukla
