ARLINGTON, Texas – After falling to UTSA 2-1 to end round robin competition at the Boerner Invitational on Saturday morning, the Rutgers softball team exacted revenge in the rematch as the fourth seeded Scarlet Knights shutout the top-seeded Roadrunners 2-0 to advance to the tournament's championship game.

With Saturday's split, Rutgers moved to 6-7 on the season.

UTSA 2, RUTGERS 1

STANDOUT STATS

• Sophomore Aleah Marra ended game one 2-for-3 from the plate scoring RU's lone run along with a stolen base. Classmate Taylor Lane hit 2-for-2.
• Starter Corah Price threw a season-high six strikeouts in her fifth appearance of the season inside the circle.

THE RUNDOWN

• Aleah Marra got the Scarlet Knights going in the top of the third with a triple to right and scored off a Roadrunner wild pitch.
• In the top of the fifth, Rutgers' chance at another run was thwarted. Senior Hailey Hoklotubbe opened the inning with a walk, advanced to second off a bunt by Taylor Lane and reached third on a Roadrunner error at second. The senior, however, was tagged out after Mara's bunt was caught at third base.
• UTSA fought back in the bottom of the fifth. A solo home run by Celeste Loughman tied the game at 1-1. Kindell Brooks added a double and was able to score off a Tori Villarreal single to center.

RUTGERS 2, UTSA 0

STANDOUT STATS

• Anyssa Iliopoulos smacked a two-run home run to left to lift Rutgers to victory.
• Freshman left-hander Jaden Vickers threw eight strikeouts to improve to 2-2 on the year.
• Classmate Ashley Hitchcock faced the final two UTSA batter to pick up her first career save.

 

THE RUNDOWN

• Jaden Vickers tossed her first strikeout to get the Scarlet Knights out of a based loaded situation with two outs in the bottom of the first.
• Rutgers' first scoring threat of the game came in the top of the fifth. The Scarlet Knights had runners in scoring position with Hailey Hoklotubbe making her way to third off a Roadrunner wild pitch and Taylor Fawcett getting hit by a pitch and reaching second on a stolen base. The half inning though would come to an end leaving the RU runners in place.
• The Scarlet Knights, however, would score the following inning with Anyssa Iliopoulos going out of the park to left field with two outs. The home run scored Gabrielle Callaway, who had led off with a walk.
• Vickers added another two strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth and picked up her eighth and final strikeout in the seventh before she was replaced by Ashley Hitchcock for the save.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Anyssa Iliopoulos collected her third home run of the 2020 season and 21^st of her career. She is in a tie with sophomore teammate Katie Wingert for fifth on the Rutgers all-time home run leaders list.
• It was the second save of the season for the Rutgers pitching staff with Ashley Hitchcock recording her first career save.
• Sunday marked Jaden Vickers third game with eight strikeouts or more in her seventh appearance on the mound.
• Kiersten Withstandley made her first collegiate start at catcher.
• Rutgers picked up its first shutout of 2020. 

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights go for the Boerner Invitational Championship at 1 p.m. (ET) against Kansas.

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