GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Rutgers softball team opened the Bubly Invitational on Friday splitting its two games.

The Scarlet Knights opened the weekend with a 6-3 victory over Mercer before falling 3-0 to No. 24 Louisiana in its first contest with a top-25 team.

With the split, Rutgers softball moves to 17-5 on the season.

Rutgers 6, Mercer 3

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Seven different Scarlet Knights led RU to eight hits led by Leilani Chavez going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
• Payton Lincavage scored a pair of runs and connected on her second home run of the season.
• RBIs were also captured by Kyleigh Sand, Katie Wingert and Calista Collins. Wingert's came on a base hit in the first, Collins notched her RBI on a double in the third and Sand posted hers with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
• Morgan Smith got the start, however, Ashley Hitchcock got the win finishing out the final 3.2 innings inside the circle allowing only one hit. Hitchcock upped her record to 6-0.

THE RUNDOWN

• Mercer opened the game with three hits leading to a 1-0 lead. Kylie Helm singled to rightfield scoring leadoff Rebeca Laudino, who went around the bases on a single, sac bunt and passed ball.
• Four batters into the bottom of the inning, however, the game was tied. Ryann Orange scored the tying run off the base hit from Katie Wingert, the third straight single for the Knights of the bottom half.
• Rutgers targeted left field in the bottom of the third for three runs on three hits for a 4-1 edge. Taylor Fawcett singled as Morgan Smith sped home from first. Fawcett careened around the bases to home off a double from Leilani Chavez. Calista Collins then went down the line scoring Chavez.
• The Bears narrowed the gap in the top of the fourth. Laudino tripled to the right-field corner for a pair of runs cutting her squad's deficit to 4-3.
• The Scarlet Knights went up by two runs in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kyleigh Sand kept her on-base streak alive walking in Payton Lincavage giving RU a 5-3 lead.
• Left field continued to be the place to go in the sixth. Lincavage went over the wall for a solo HR extending RU's lead to 6-3.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Payton Lincavage captured RU's 13 home run of the season, her second of the season and 11^th of her career.

No. 24 Louisiana 3, Rutgers 0

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• The Scarlet Knights fell its first contest with a top 25 program. The Ragin' Cajuns were ranked No. 24 in this week's ESPN/USA Softball Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Poll.
• Jaden Vickers dropped to 4-3 in the loss, while Georgia Ingle threw 4.1 innings of scoreless relief giving up only one hit.
• The Scarlet Knights had hits from Katie Wingert, Kiersten Withstandley and Taylor Lane in the loss.

THE RUNDOWN

• Louisiana took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Leadoff Mihiya Davis singled, reached third on a pair of stolen bases and notched the game's first run on a wild pitch. Laney Credeur added an RBI single for the second run of the inning.
• The Scarlet Knights turned their 10^th double play of the season in the top of the third. However, before RU headed back to the plate, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded back-to-back hits including an RBI double from Credeur for a 3-0 edge.
• Rutgers had base runners on second and third in the first and a Scarlet Knight on second in the second and sixth but were unable to break the shutout.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Kyleigh Sand has reached base safely in the last 58 consecutive games nearing the Big Ten record of 59 set by Adrienne Monka of Northwestern in 2011-12. Sand last failed to reach on back on March 6, 2022 against Notre Dame in a 4-3 nine-inning loss.

UP NEXT

Rutgers will take on Mercer and No. 24 Louisiana again on Saturday at the Bubly Invitational. The Scarlet Knights meet the Bears at 4 p.m. and Ragin' Cajuns at 6:30 p.m. at Pressly Stadium.

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