HARRISONBURG, Va. (March 15, 2019) – Rutgers softball pushed its winning streak to seven straight with an improbable 6-5 comeback victory over St. Joseph's on Friday afternoon to kick off the James Madison Invitational.
 
QUICK PITCH

• The Scarlet Knights (13-9) scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 5-1 deficit to the Hawks (7-8). Freshman catcher Katie Wingert's solo home run got Rutgers on the board in the sixth before junior Nicole Bowman delivered the walk-off hit in the seventh, a long single to deep left field with one out and the bases loaded. St. Joe's made four errors in the final frame.

STANDOUT STATS

• Wingert and senior shortstop Jess Hughes each went 2-for-3, with Wingert scoring two runs and Hughes getting a run and an RBI during the seventh inning comeback. Hughes also stole two bases to run her season total to 14-for-14.
• Senior center fielder Nicolette Anico and freshman second baseman Aleah Marra added clutch situational hitting with RBI grounders during the seventh inning comeback.
• Bowman bat 1-for-3, with the hit going down as Rutgers' first non-run-rule walk-off hit since April 29, 2017.
• Junior relief pitcher Cambria Keefer picked up the victory in the circle – her first of the year – by retiring the final batter of the top of the seventh inning on a groundout.

THE RUNDOWN

• The Hawks benefited from two RU errors in the top of the first for an unearned run against freshman starter Corah Price.
• Price settled down by retiring 13 of the next 15, working around a couple of leadoff runners in the second and third. SJU figured out Price in the sixth with three straight hard hits, then a two-run home run for a 5-0 lead.
• Down to their final three outs, Rutgers was certainly aided by a bunch of Hawk defensive miscues, but finished the job with clutch hitting.
  • Madyson Cole and Hailey Hoklotubbe each reached on error, with Hoklotubbe attempting a sacrifice bunt. Hughes made it 5-2 with an RBI single that dunked in front of the SJU center fielder.
  • With runners on the corners, Hughes stole second with the throw going off the glove into center field, allowing Hoklotubbe to score for 5-3.
  • Anico followed by reaching on error, which would have been an RBI groundout regardless, and RU trailed 5-4.
  • Anyssa Iliopoulos kept the zero-out rally alive with a single to left, and after a wild pitch, Wingert walked to load the bases.
  • The Scarlet Knights tied the game at 5-5 on Marra's RBI fielder's choice, with Anico sliding in safely at home despite the throw attempt to retire the lead runner.
  • The first out was finally recorded on another fielder's choice, this time with SJU getting the out at home off Myah Moy's grounder.
  • With the bases loaded and one out, Bowman lifted a deep fly to left field over the shallow-playing Hawks defensive alignment. Wingert scored easily from third to end the game.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers was 3-for-3 in stolen bases to move its season mark to 40-for-46 (87%). The best season-long success rate in stolen bases in the last 15 years was 87% in 2011.
• Rutgers came back for a win in the seventh inning for the first time since the 6-5 win over Penn State on March 30 of last season after trailing 5-4.
• Wingert hit her team-leading sixth home run of the season and has hit a home run in three straight games.
• Hughes stretched her reached base safely streak to 13 straight games, while Iliopoulos moved her hitting streak to seven straight.

UP NEXT
Rutgers takes on the host and No. 22 ranked Dukes of James Madison on Friday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m.


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