Rutgers University
Princeton
Softball Takes Five-Game Winning Streak To The Spring Games
Feb 23 | Softball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The non-conference schedule continues this weekend for Rutgers softball as the Scarlet Knights travel to The Spring Games at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex riding a five-game win streak.
On deck for the Scarlet Knights this weekend are contests with Princeton, Siena, FGCU, North Florida and Cornell.
| TOURNAMENT INFO |
| Tournament: | The Spring Games Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex | Leesburg, Fla. |
| Game Notes: | Rutgers | Princeton | Siena | FGCU | North Florida | Cornell |
| Statistics: | Rutgers | Princeton | Siena | FGCU | North Florida | Cornell | Big Ten |
| Live Stats & Video: |
Friday, Feb. 25
4 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Princeton - Stats | Video 6:30 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Siena - Stats | Video Saturday, Feb. 26 1:30 p.m. - Rutgers vs. FGCU - Stats | Video 4 p.m. - Rutgers vs. North Florida - Stats | Videos Sunday, Feb. 27 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Rutgers vs. Cornell - Stats | Video |
| Social Media: | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
| ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS |
- Rutgers softball is off to its best start in 26 years. The Scarlet Knights are out to a 7-3 start following a 5-0 weekend at the Pirate Clash with a pair of wins over Wagner and Colgate along with a victory over host ECU.
- The Scarlet Knights opened the Pirate Clash with a 13-3 run-rule win over Wagner and a fought back from a tie ball game in the seventh in a 4-3 victory over host ECU last Friday. Rutgers followed on Saturday by downing Wagner, 5-0, for its first shutout of the season while needing extra innings to sink Colgate, 5-4. Then on Sunday, Rutgers shut down Colgate 2-0 with a one-hitter for its best start to a season since 1996.
- Inside the circle, Ashley Hitchcock held down a 1.67 ERA in a 3-0 weekend. The junior right-hander pitched three complete games with a save over her four outings. She allowed five earned runs and sent down 26 on strikes. Jaden Vickers, meanwhile, was 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts. The junior left-hander tossed 12.0 innings allowing only three earned runs.
- The Scarlet Knights hit .315 over the five-game Pirate Clash with 40 hits, five doubles and three home runs led by Big Ten Freshman of the Week Maddie Lawson. Lawson hit .500 (8-for-16) with six RBIs a double and her first career home run. Payton Lincavage went .438 (7-for-16) and amassed seven runs scored, four RBIs and three stolen bases. Kyleigh Sand, meanwhile, was responsible for eight of RU's 29 runs on the weekend and logged five stolen bases.
- RU opened the 2022 season in Mexico two weeks ago at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge going 2-3 and having faced two top 10 programs. The Scarlet Knights got 2-1 and 6-2 victories over Lamar while dropping a 6-3 contest to Memphis as the Tigers overcame a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth. Rutgers also faced No. 8 Arkansas and No. 7 Washington the first week of the season.
| ABOUT PRINCETON |
2022 Record – 0-0
All-Time Series: Tigers lead 31-24
| ABOUT SIENA |
2021 Record: 19-15
2021 MAAC Record: 19-13
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Saints to Watch:
Batting
Antonia Alba: .316 BA, 5 runs, 24 hits, 4 doubles, 6 RBIs
Emma McLaughlin: .279 BA, 8 runs, 31 hits, 4 doubles, 25 RBIs
Angelina Stile: .258 BA, 14 runs, 23 hits, 3 HRs, 13 RBIs
Pitching
Allison Speshyock: 8-3 W-L, 2.95 ERA, 1 save, 61.2 IP, 28 Ks
Nicole Patille: 2-4 W-L, 2.95 ERA, 4 saves, 57 IP, 39 Ks
| ABOUT FGCU |
Head Coach: David Deiros (South Florida '89) - 694-369-3 (20th season)/ 694-369-3 at FGCU (20th season)
2022 Record: 6-5
All-Time Series: Eagles lead 2-0
Top Eagles:
Batting
Cana Davis: .435 BA, 3 runs, 10 hits, 4 doubles, 8 RBIs
McKenna Batterton: .367 BA, 7 runs, 11 hits, 1 triple, 3 RBIs
Reedy Davenport: .353 BA, 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs
Pitching
Ally Hulme: 4-2 W-L, 2.90 ERA, 29 IP, 20 Ks, 1 CG
Emily Estroff: 1-1 W-L, 4.26 ERA, 23 IP, 6 Ks, 1 SV
| ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA |
Head Coach: Marcie Higgs (Bloomsburg '99) - 438-526 (21st season)/345-321 at North Florida (14th season)
2022 Record: 8-2
All-Time Series: The Ospreys lead 2-0
Ospreys to watch:
Batting
Shannon Glover: .355 BA, 4 runs, 11 hits, 2 doubles, 7 RBIs
Paige Pfent: .355 BA, 3 runs, 11 hits, 3 doubles, 5 RBIs
Kayla McGory: .345 BA, 7 runs, 10 hits, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs
Pitching
Halle Arends: 3-0 W-L, 0.00 ERA, 17.1 IP, 18 Ks
Erin Kyle: 3-1 W-L, 1.85 ERA, 34 IP, 2 CGs, 19Ks
| ABOUT CORNELL |
Head Coach: Julie Farlow (Cornell '97) - 51-126-1 (5th season)/51-126-1 at Cornell (5th season)
2022 Record: 0-0
All-Time Series: Scarlet Knights lead 1-0
| BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK |
- Infielder Maddie Lawson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the week ending Feb. 20 after leading Rutgers to a 5-0 weekend at the Pirate Clash.
- Lawson hit .500 with three multiple-hit games along with six RBIs and two runs scored.
- The rookie opened the weekend going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs in a 13-3 run-rule victory over Wagner. The Scarlet Knight launched her first collegiate home run in the bottom of the fifth to give RU the victory. She also added a run in RU's seven-run third inning.
- In a 4-3 win over host ECU, the Mebane, North Carolina native was 2-for-3. She drove in RU's first two runs of the game as Rutgers fought back from an early 1-0 deficit against the Pirates.
- The tournament continued with Lawson going 1-for-3 in a 5-0 victory over Wagner and 3-for-3 in an extra-inning 5-4 win over Colgate. She once again helped Rutgers out of an early 1-0 deficit with an RBI base hit to put RU up 2-1 after one inning of play.
- Lawson is the first Scarlet Knight to earn weekly Big Ten honors since Anyssa Illiopoulos' conference Player of the Week award back on May 6, 2019. Additionally, she is the first RU rookie to earn a conference Freshman of the Week accolade since teammate Katie Wingert collected hers on April 19, 2019.
| PUERTO VALLARTA CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM |
- Two Scarlet Knights landed on the Puerto Vallarta Challenge - Gabrielle Callaway & Jaden Vickers - during opening weekend.
- Callaway, a graduate student left fielder, finished the tournament hitting .400 with six hits and four RBIs. She was 3-for-4 with a double and her 13th career doubles in RU's 6-2 win over Lamar. Callaway also had two RBIs and two stolen bases against Memphis.
- Vickers, meanwhile, pitched 19.0 innings with a 2.95 ERA and pair of wins over the Cardinals where just gave up just three hits. The junior lefthander struck out 11 batters, including six Tigers in her 2022 debut, and held the opposition to a .167 average at the plate
| UP NEXT |
The Rutgers softball team will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for the Liberty Softball Invitational for five games meeting up with Liberty, George Washington, Notre Dame and Lehigh.
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