Rutgers Softball Hosts Instate Foes Monmouth, Princeton
Apr 14 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball kicks off a 14-game homestand on Wednesday, April 15, beginning with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against instate foe Monmouth. The Scarlet Knights will then continue with a double-header against Princeton on Thursday, April 16.
Rutgers enters the midweek contests 14-24 overall and 3-11 in BIG EAST action. RU dropped a pair at Connecticut last Thursday. Despite the losses, several Scarlet Knights are seeing success on the diamond.
Senior Amanda Heller (Belle Mead, N.J.) who leads RU at the plate, hitting for a .360 average, went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the 6-5 game one loss at Connecticut. Freshman Mikelyn Messina (Prospect, Conn.) is also performing well at the plate, hitting for a .310 average on the season. Senior Amanda Shaw (Yorba Linda, Calif.) leads the team in steals (seven) and runs scored (17) with a .293 average at the plate. Junior pitcher Nicole Lindley (Cicero, N.Y.) leads the Scarlet Knights in the circle with a 2.67 ERA and 78 strikeouts.
Monmouth enters Wednesday 19-9-1 overall and 7-3 in the Northeast Conference. Emily Delong leads the Hawks with a .427 batting average, 12 home runs, 35 runs scored, 15 stolen bases and 35 RBI. The Monmouth lineup includes four other batters hitting over .300. Melissa Mehrer and the rest of the Hawks pitching staff have benefited from the run production the offense has provided. The pitchers performed well in their own right, holding their opponents to a .227 average. Mehrer leads the team with a 1.54 ERA and 56 strikeouts. RU looks to spoil the Hawks’ six game win streak.
Princeton enters the contest 10-14 overall and 5-5 in Ivy League play. The Tigers earned a doubleheader sweep last weekend against Columbia. Kathryn Welch leads the Tigers with a .425 average and 19 runs scored. Welch is tied with Kelsey Quist for a team-high 21 RBI. Quist also leads the team with 16 stolen bases and 13 walks. Jamie Lettire leads Princeton with seven home runs and a .313 average at the plate. Michelle Tolfa leads the Tigers in the circle with a 3.62 ERA.
RU will continue the home stretch this weekend with BIG EAST matchups against DePaul (April 18) and Notre Dame (April 19). The Scarlet Knights will close out their home schedule against Marist (April 21), Fairleigh Dickinson (April 23), Seton Hall (April 26) and Long Island (April 30).
