LEESBURG, Fla. – The Rutgers softball win streak continued on Friday at The Spring Games at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.
Jaden Vickers tossed 16 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory over Princeton and Rutgers came from behind for a 3-2 extra-inning victory over Siena to improve to 9-3 on the year for the best start since 1981.
Rutgers 5, Princeton 0
- Junior left hander Jaden Vickers sent down 16 Tigers on strikes, including 11 swinging, for the most strikeouts according to individual game records dating back to 2004. She gave up only two hits – one with the first Princeton at-bat and a late hit during Tigers' final at-bat in the seventh. She improved to 5-0 inside the circle in the complete-game shutout.
- Four different Scarlet Knights scored in the victory driven in by five different members of the team. Gabrielle Callaway, who went 2-for-4 in game one, led RU with two runs. Payton Lincavage, Maddie Lawson and Kiersten Withstandley also scored in the win.
- Rutgers generated four runs in the top of the fourth. Big Ten Freshman of the Week Maddie Lawson opened scoring with an RBI single to center and Gabrielle Callaway made it a 2-0 ballgame coming home on a wild pitch. Taylor Fawcett was able to score Lawson on a hit to short and Taylor Lane followed with an RBI bunt to put RU up 4-0.
- The Scarlet Knights tacked on another run in the fifth on an RBI single to left from Kiersten Withstandley.
- Vickers sent down the Tigers 1-2-3 on strikes in the second and fifth innings.
- Vickers is tied for fourth nationally in batters struck out in a game this season and second in the Big Ten. Michigan's Alex Strorako leads both lists with 18 strikeouts against Illinois State on Feb. 11.
- Vickers' 16 strikeouts are also the most by a Scarlet Knight since Alyssa Landrith's 14 against Quinnipiac on Mar. 16, 2014.
Rutgers 3, Siena 2 - 8 innings
- Rutgers extended its win streak to seven in the come-from-behind victory.
- Ashley Hitchcock collected her second-straight complete-game victory. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits while striking out seven Saints.
- It was the second time in the last three games Gabrielle Callaway has knocked in the game-winning run in a come-from-behind victory. She finished the game going 3-for-4 scoring Kyleigh Sand twice.
- Maddie Lawson also added in an RBI and Mya Mancini came off the bench to pinch run and score the game-tying run in the seventh.
- Rutgers took a hold of the lead three batters into the contest. Kyleigh Sand led off with a single up the middle and came home on a Gabrielle Callaway single.
- Siena, however, took the lead on their next two trips to the plate. In the top of the second, Shannon Bonewit knotted the score at 1-1 on an RBI double to left and then in the third Emma McLaughlin used a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to put the Saints up 2-0.
- The Saints would be limited to one more hit the rest of the evening as Rutgers tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh. The bases were loaded with one out setting up Georgia Ingle for a memorable first career hit. The freshman put the ball up the left side scoring Mya Mancini for a 2-2 game. The contest, however, would go to extra innings as Siena turned a double play, including getting the go-ahead run at the plate, to end the inning.
- In the eighth, Callaway found the gap in left-center for a walk-off double.
- The Scarlet Knights' 9-3 start is the best for the squad since 1981 when Rutgers opened 28-1. The 1981 Rutgers softball team finished 28-3 overall reaching the AIAW College World Series.
- Rutgers' seven-game win streak is the longest for the squad since a seven-game win streak during nonconference action in 2019.
The Spring Games continues for Rutgers Softball with FGCU at 1:30 p.m. and North Florida at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be streamed by FloSoftball.
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