Softball Earns Crucial Doubleheader Sweep of Rutgers

Jessica Schulien

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team earned a crucial doubleheader sweep of Rutgers on Tuesday at Ivy Hill Park. Senior Katie Pierce (Pittsfield, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Pirates a 3-2 win in game one. Sophomore Maura Lund (Oak Park, Ill.) continued her solid pitching streak in the second game, leading SHU to a 3-1 win. Seton Hall improves to 25-21 overall, 5-9 in the BIG EAST, while Rutgers drops to 11-29 overall, 4-10 in conference play.

The Pirates struck early in game one, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. The runs came when sophomore Jenna Best (Medford, N.J.) used her hot hitting hand to knock a two-run homer over the left-field fence.

Neither team would score again until the seventh inning, when Rutgers’ Sarah Kalka homered to left center to knot the score at two. However, it was all the offense the Scarlet Knights would muster, sending the game to the bottom of the seventh.

In the seventh, the Pirates managed to load the bases with only one out, bringing Pierce to the plate. Pierce proceeded to hit a towering fly ball to shallow right-center field that was deep enough to allow junior Ashley Constantini (Newark, Del.) to tag and score from third.

Freshman Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y.) improved to 11-7 with the game one victory. Schweitzer pitched a complete game four hitter, striking out three batters.

In the second game, Seton Hall was again the first team to score, taking the lead when senior Jessica Schulien (Pequannock, N.J.) hit a solo-home run off the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. Pierce brought home the Pirates’ other two runs in the game She hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the third inning and an RBI double to left in the fifth.

Rutgers’ only run in game two came in the sixth inning. Lund loaded the bases with no outs and was relieved by junior Jessica Jones (Tyler, Texas). Jones retired the first batter she faced but walked Kim Hodges to send Amanda Shaw across the plate. Jones rebounded and got out of the inning by forcing Shantai Dixon to ground into a double play.

Lund improved to 3-0 with the win, allowing just one earned run and striking out seven batters. Jones received the save for Seton Hall, her second of the year.

The Pirates return to action Wednesday, Apr. 19, when they travel to Princeton, N.J., for a 3:30 p.m., doubleheader at Class of 1985 Field.

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