TAMPA, Fla. – The Rutgers softball team went 1-1 on day two of the USF Tournament on Saturday opening with 3-2 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi to earn the three seed for the afternoon game. The third-seeded Scarlet Knights met up with second-seeded Syracuse for game two falling 11-4.

The Scarlet Knights moved to 7-11 on the season.

RUTGERS 3, TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI 2

STANDOUT STATS

• Anyssa Iliopoulos' fourth home run of the year to left center gave the Scarlet Knights the game-winning run in the top of the sixth. The senior rightfielder finished the game 1-for-3.
• Freshman third baseman Payton Lincavage went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored, while sophomore second baseman Aleah Marra hit 2-for-4.
• Sophomore Corah Price got the start inside the circle tossing 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. Rookie Ashley Hitchcock got the win to improve to 4-3 pitching the final 2.1 innings with a trio of strikeouts

THE RUNDOWN

• The Islanders opened the game with a Tiare Lee infield base hit and scored on a Sydney Hoyt single to left for a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first.
• The Scarlet Knights struck back at their next at-bat. Payton Lincavage opened with a single up the middle and advanced to second as Kiana Workman reached on with a throwing error on her bunt to third.
• RU's next batter, Aleeah Randazzo, collected a RBI single to left to score Lincavage and tie the game at 1-1.
• Randazzo followed her hit by trying to steal second, but as the Scarlet Knight was caught, Workman was able to sneak home to give Rutgers a 2-1 lead.
• Texas A&M Corpus Christi tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third. Ashleigh Sgambelluri doubled to left leading to a RBI single up the middle from Alexandria Torres.
• In the top of the sixth, Anyssa Iliopoulos led off with a solo shot to left center to put the Scarlet Knights back in front.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Anyssa Iliopoulos captured her fourth home run of the season and moved into a tie for fourth on the all-time list joining Sierra Maddox (2015-18) with 23 career dingers. Iliopoulos needs seven more home runs to move into third.
• Payton Lincavage recorded her first multiple hit game of her Scarlet Knight career with a career-high three hits.
• Aleeah Randazzo's single for the game's first tie gave the freshman her first collegiate RBI.
   

SYRACUSE 11, RUTGERS 4

STANDOUT STATS

• Both freshman Payton Lincavage and graduate student Gabrielle Callaway went over the fence in the game, both picking up two RBI apiece.
• Lincavage finished the day 4-for-6 from the plate with her first career home run and is currently riding a four-game hitting streak.
• Freshman Aleeah Randazzo made five putouts for the defense out in left field.

THE RUNDOWN

• Both Rutgers and Syracuse combined for 11 runs in the first inning.
• The Scarlet Knights led off with four runs. Taylor Fawcett tripled to right center and Gabrielle Callaway followed crushing the ball over the center field fence. Three batters later, Payton Lincavage sent her first career home run to left field for another two runs and a 4-0 Rutgers lead.
• Syracuse countered with seven runs on six hits, including three doubles and a triple, with its turn at the plate for a 7-4 advantage.
• Back at the plate for the bottom of the second, the Orange added three more runs including a home run to left by Alexis Kaiser.
• Kaiser, who finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI, also added a double to left in the bottom of the fourth to score Rebecca Clyde for the game's final run.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers recorded its third game of the season with two or more home runs in a game.
• Gabrielle Callaway knocked in her second home run of the season and seventh of her career. She has reached base safely in 14-straight contests. 

UP NEXT

Rutgers softball meets up again with Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 9 a.m. to close out tournament action.

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