Softball's Greatest Hits of 2020
Apr 17 | Softball
A Look Back at the Memorable Moments of the Shorten Season
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM THE BASH IN THE 'BORO
• At the plate, RU was led by Ashley Hitchcock and Aleah Marra, both hitting .400 going 6-for-15. Marra, starting off her second season "On The Banks", collected a pair of doubles and two runs.
• In the circle, Hitchcock went 2-1 in four appearances and two starts and totaled 20 strikeouts in her weekend debut.
• The pitching staff totaled 10 or more strikeouts in three of its five games and at least 13 strikeouts in a game in two of the first five contests of the season.
• In the season opener versus Army, the Scarlet Knights saw back-to-back-to-back home runs from the bats of Katie Wingert, Anyssa Iliopoulos and Kiana Workman.
• The Scarlet Knights earned its first victory over the year in a 6-3 win over ETSU behind the debut of left-hander Jaden Vickers. The freshman captured a complete game in her first collegiate outing and threw 13 strikeouts, the most for a Rutgers pitcher since 2015.
• Rutgers earned a 3-2 victory versus Hartford, which saw Iliopoulos with a two-run homer and Taylor Manno pick up her first career save, which included leaving the bases loaded with a pair of strikeouts when called to the mound.
• On her first collegiate hit, freshman Taylor Fawcett hit a shot to center field against the host Georgia Southern Eagles.
• The Scarlet Knights closed out the weekend with a 3-2 extra inning victory in their second matchup with ETSU. Iliopoulos singled up the middle in the top of the ninth which led to teammate Kiersten Withstandley stealing home for the winning run. In the bottom of the inning with one out, Iliopoulos made the catch in right and threw in time for Katie Wingert to make the play at home tagging out a game-tying run and ending the ballgame.
BASH IN THE 'BORO VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM THE BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE
• Rutgers made its first-ever appearance in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge earning the invite thanks to last season's RPI off a 29-26 season and appearance in the NISC Tournament.
•The Scarlet Knights put two in the win column for the Big Ten with a pair of victories over Syracuse and took on a Duke squad that was on the verge of cracking the nation's top 25.
• The Scarlet Knights powered thru an extra-inning three-hour eighteen-minute slug fest with the Orange, marking the longest game in Duke Softball Stadium history, to get the 11-10 nine-inning win and followed the next day with a 10-5 victory.
• Over the four-game challenge, Taylor Lane hit .600 (3-for-5) with two runs and two RBI. Additionally, Gabrielle Callaway collected a .417 batting average (5-for-12), including a home run against Syracuse, and three runs along with a team-leading 18 putouts.
• Ashley Hitchcock went 1-0 inside the circle posting a 1.91 ERA in her three appearances and struck out five ACC batters.
• In the extra-innings win over the Orange to open challenge play, freshman Payton Lincavage sent home pinch runner Cambria Keefer on a double for the winning run in the top of the ninth. Katie Wingert finished 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs to center field and four RBI and freshman Taylor Fawcett went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Sophomore Corah Price, who started the contest and pitched the final 1.2 innings, got the win in her first appearance of the year.
• In the second game with Syracuse, Rutgers used six hits to score seven runs in the bottom of the second to jump in front. Four Scarlet Knights - Aleah Marra, Anyssa Iliopoulos, Katie Wingert and Taylor Lane - all registered two RBI apiece. Ashley Hitchcock, in the circle for the final five innings, logged five strikeouts and no earned runs.
BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM THE BOERNER CHALLENGE
• It was a tough start for the Scarlet Knights, but Rutgers made to the championship game of the challenge and fell by only a run in the finale.
• Rutgers collected four home runs at the Boerner Invitational with Aleah Marra, Kiana Workman, Anyssa Iliopoulos and Taylor Fawcett all going over the fence during the five-game tournament.
• Gabrielle Callaway led Rutgers hitting .500 (3-for-10), while Aleah Marra led the Scarlet Knights with five hits, including the team's first triple of the year.
• The fourth-seeded Scarlet Knights turned the tables in the semifinal contest earning its first shutout of the year in a 2-0 victory over top-seeded UTSA led by a two-run home from Anyssa Iliopoulos.
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM THE USF TOURNAMENT
• Freshman Payton Lincavage finished the weekend hitting .429 (6-for-14) with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and a pair of runs scored.
• On the mound, freshman Ashley Hitchcock went 1-1 in four appearances tossing 12.2 innings allowing only four hits and striking out 14.
• While host USF was able to best the Rutgers, the Scarlet Knight bats were able to get six hits - including a pair by sophomore Aleah Marra and freshman Aleeah Randazzo - against the Bulls' Second Team All-American and British National Team member hurler.
• Sophomore Taylor Lane logged three stolen bases in the final game, a 5-1 win over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. The three stolen bases were the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2011.
A VIEW FROM STANDS AT THE USF TOURNAMENT
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM THE THUNDERING HERD ROUND
• Ashley Hitchcock picked up the win in RU's 10-5 win over Bucknell and over the course of her three appearances on the weekend, tossed 13 strikeouts over 8.2 innings. Additionally, she led the Scarlet Knight bats hitting .600 (3-for-5).
• Payton Lincavage hit .455 over the weekend (5-for-11) totaling six of her 10 total RBI in the four-game tournament.
• Gabrielle Callaway extended her on-base streak to 19-straight and in the two games each with Bucknell and Marshall, picked up two RBI and two runs scored.
• Kiana Workman tied her career-high with four RBI against Bucknell going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and home run. Her three RBI double in the bottom of the first help Rutgers bounce back from an early deficit.
• Anyssa Iliopoulos, who ranks fourth all-time in home runs at Rutgers, collected her fifth home run of the year and 24th of her career against host Marshall.
• Corah Price tossed nine strikeouts against the Herd, a fellow team from last year's NISC, and tied her career-high.
THUNDERING HERD ROUND ROBIN HIGHLIGHTS
"GREATEST HITS" RUNDOWN FROM SETON HALL
• The Scarlet Knights used a four-run fifth inning for a 5-4 come-from-behind victory at in-state rival Seton Hall .
• Payton Lincavage collected three RBI and scored the go-ahead run with a stolen base, while Taylor Fawcett, Katie Wingert Gabrielle Callaway each had two hits apiece.
• Corah Price picked up the win on the mount allowing only one run and striking out three and Jaden Vickers hurled the final 2.2 innings with three strikeouts to earn her first collegiate save.
• After sending Seton Hall down in order in the fourth, including Corah Price catching a pair of Pirates looking, Rutgers rallied for four runs on five hits to take the lead in the top of the fifth. Gabrielle Callaway doubled off the left field fence scoring Kiersten Withstandley to pull the Scarlet Knights within a run at 3-2. Payton Lincavage, at the next at-bat with two on base, found a gap in right center to score Gabrielle Callaway and Taylor Fawcett to knot the score at 4-4 second as the centerfielder bobbled the ball on her hit and advanced to third off a single up the middle by Kiana Workman to then score the game-winning run stealing home.
The season may have been cut short, but no one can deny the impact these young women had on each other. The future is bright because of what each member of the Scarlet Knights poured into this season. We will be back. #RShieldsUp
