Softball Splits on Day 2 of Pirate Invite

Saturday, March 3

Hampton, Va.

11:00 AM

Rutgers University

7-9

North Dakota

10-8

Rutgers

North Dakota

Mar 03 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 North Dakota Box Score Hampton Box Score

Scarlet Knights bounce back from extra-inning defeat to North Dakota with win over Hampton

HAMPTON, Va. (March 3, 2018) – Rutgers softball (8-9) earned a split on Day 2 of the Pirate Invitational at Hampton by bouncing back from a 2-1 loss in extra innings to North Dakota (10-8) with a 9-5 victory over the host Pirates (4-8) on a brisk, yet significantly less blustery Saturday afternoon.

Senior first baseman Rebecca Hall had RBIs in five consecutive at-bats from the eighth inning of Game 1 through the sixth inning of Game 2, going 6-for-8 with five RBIs, two doubles and a triple on the day and finishing a home run shy of a natural cycle in the win over Hampton.

Nine different Scarlet Knights had a hit in the Hampton victory, including freshman second baseman Myah Moy's second career multi-hit effort (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI).

HALL HAMMERS HAMPTON
The Scarlet Knights swept their two-game series against the host Pirates by scoring in five of the seven innings in support of junior starting pitcher Whitney Jones' third win of the year (5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K).

Hall hoisted two hard-hit RBIs into the outfield in each of the first two innings. Her single in the first stretched her RBI streak to four straight games and in five of the last six. Her double in the second was the sixth of the season and 13^th extra base hit out of 24 total hits in 2018.

Junior shortstop Jess Hughes and freshman catcher Christine Malito added run-scoring singles in the opening two frames for the 4-0 lead.

Hampton got on the board in the third with a two-out RBI single, but it could have been worse as Hampton got two on with no outs. Jones worked a strikeout, Moy made a strong throw home and Malito made a diving tag to prevent further damage.

Hall tacked on to her RBI streak with a run-scoring triple in the fourth and single in the sixth. Those proved to be important runs as Hampton charged back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to trail 6-5, but Moy's RBI double, a well-placed RBI bunt off the bat of senior Meaghan Wells and senior Sierra Maddox's booming RBI double off the left field fence added the necessary insurance in the seventh.

Freshman reliever Bianca Vozenilek struck out four while getting the final six outs without allowing an earned run.

UND WALKS OFF IN EIGHT
Keefer took her 21.2-inning scoreless streak into extra frames after battling Fighting Hawks pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen in a scoreless pitchers' duel through seven.

Hall put the first run of the game on the board with her RBI double to right center in the top of the eighth, scoring sophomore Hailey Hoklotubbe after she started the inning on second base via the international tiebreaker rule. With just one run on the board, Rutgers and Keefer had to defend the lead with UND also getting the leadoff runner on second.

The Fighting Hawks used a bunt single and a sac bunt to set up second and third with one out before Keefer issued an intentional walk to load the bases. UND picked up back-to-back RBI singles to walk off with the win despite Rutgers getting an out in between by catching the Hawks in a rundown between third and home.

KNIGHT NOTES

Rebecca Hall has nine of Rutgers' 20 multi-hit performances this season. She also has an extra base hit in seven of her last nine games.
Hall had RBIs in five consecutive at-bats from the eighth inning of Game 1 through the sixth inning of Game 2.
Hall is hitting .625 (10-for-16) and slugging 1.062 at the Pirate Invitational with nine RBIs.
Keefer's career-high scoreless inning streak was officially 22 innings dating back to her complete game shutout against Kennesaw State on Feb. 23.
Hall and Hughes have hit in all four games of the Pirate Invitational.
Anyssa Iliopoulos had a seven-game reached base safely streak snapped against Hampton.

UP NEXT
Rutgers concludes the Pirate Invitational with its second game against North Dakota on Sunday, March 4 at 10 a.m.

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