HAMPTON, Va. (March 2, 2018) – Junior shortstop Jess Hughes hit home runs and doubles in both games and sophomore starting pitcher Cambria Keefer extended a scoreless inning streak to 13 straight as Rutgers softball (7-8) started 2-0 at the Pirate Invitational with a 7-0 shutout over Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-5) and a 12-8 victory at host Hampton (3-7) on Friday.
 
Senior first baseman Rebecca Hall continued her assault on the RU record books with a 4-for-8 day with a double, triple and four RBIs while moving up spots in four different Top 10 lists in school history. Hughes had her first landmark day at Rutgers with her first two round-trippers in Scarlet and first two multi-hit and multi-RBI games. The junior transfer finished 5-for-8 with five runs and four RBIs.
 
Eight different Scarlet Knights had a hit throughout the Friday doubleheader on a brutally blustery day in Virginia with sustained winds of 20 miles per hour and gusts up to 45 miles per hour.
 
"I thought they battled through a tough situation with the wind and put together two great games," head coach Jay Nelson said. "It was great to get Jess going. That was the goal of moving her down in the order, to get her to see some better pitches, and it was exactly what she needed."
 
PLENTY OF RUN SUPPORT FOR KEEFER'S THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
Keefer lowered her season ERA to 2.48 with six more scoreless frames, running her scoreless inning streak to 13 straight. She scattered five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
The offense backed up their starting pitcher early with three hits, including Hughes' shallow RBI double that danced in the swirling 25 mile per hour winds for the 3-0 lead. Hall added a hard-hit two-run single in the fourth while Keefer held the Hawks scoreless.
 
Following up her bloop double, Hughes hit a no-doubter over the right field fence for her 15^th career home run – and first as a Scarlet Knight. The solo shot also marked Hughes' first multi-hit game of the season, and handed Rutgers a commanding 6-0 lead.
 
The Scarlet Knight defense also had Keefer's back with two double plays as they hold their ranking in the Top 10 nationally in turning two this season. Freshman second baseman Myah Moy started the first on a routine groundout, which ended with Hall's heads-up throw to third to catch an advancing runner in the third inning. With runners on second and third and just one out, it was another Moy-Hall connection and another wise decision as Hall came home for the out at the plate to end the frame.
 
RU OUTLASTS HAMPTON IN HIGH SCORING AFFAIR
The Scarlet Knights were playing in an early deficit with Hampton scoring in the first and chasing starter Whitney Jones from the circle in the third. Freshman Taylor Manno earned the victory in relief by holding a hot-hitting lineup just enough to allow an even hotter Rutgers one through nine to take the lead.
 
With Rutgers' first two runs coming via Pirate errors, Hampton jumped ahead 4-2 in the third before RU broke out for six runs in the fourth on four hits, including two triples. Sophomore third baseman Anyssa Iliopoulos and Hall provided the power while junior Nicolette Anico, freshman Alexis Silinonte and sophomore Nicole Bowman added RBIs in the difference-making frame.
 
The Scarlet Knights tacked on insurance with freshman catcher Christine Malito's RBI single in the fifth. Junior Adriana Burcar stole home as part of a double-steal play before Hughes launched her second home run of the day – a rocket shot over the right field fence – for the 12-6 advantage.
 
Freshman pitcher Bianca Vozenilek earned her first career save by pitching the final four innings, a career high, with a career-high four strikeouts while allowing two runs on three hits.
 
HALL HISTORY
It seems with every Rutgers victory brings another milestone for senior Rebecca Hall. On Friday, her four hits moved her into and upward the Top 10 all-time hits list. Now with 174, she is tied for eighth in school history.
 
Her double also gave her sole possession of sixth place all-time with 39 two-baggers, while her four RBIs has her standing alone in fourth place in school history with 117 career runs batted in.
 
Her triple against Hampton gives her sixth place all-time by herself with seven. Four of those have come this season, which is already tied for eighth in school history for triples in a single year.
 
KNIGHT NOTES

• Keefer has pitched 13 straight scoreless innings and has not allowed an earned run since the eighth inning of the win over Houston on Feb. 17.
• Hall notched her sixth multi-hit game of the season, while Malito had her first career multi-hit contest and Hughes enjoyed her first two as a Scarlet Knight.
• Rutgers stole three bases against UMES, the second highest total of the year.
• Rutgers, which ranks ninth in the NCAA in double plays per game, is sure to see that rank rise after turning two in each game on Friday.

 
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