PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers softball returns to the win column with a pair of wins to open the Rutgers Tournament on Friday at the Rutgers Softball Complex.

The Scarlet Knights opened with an 8-1 win over Saint Peter's and closed out the day with a 4-0 shutout against Iona.

The two wins snapped a six-game slide and improves the squad to 19-10 on the season.
 

Rutgers 8, Saint Peter's 1

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Morgan Smith made her Rutgers Softball Complex debut with a three-run home and RBI triple. The Scarlet Knight finished game one 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs.
• Kyleigh Sand and Payton Lincavage also had a pair of hits apiece. Lincavage was 2-for-2 with an RBI double and three runs scored. Sand, meanwhile, notched a triple and scored two runs.
• Raimy Gamsby improved to 6-3 overall tossing six innings with four strikeouts. She gave up only one run on five hits.

THE RUNDOWN

• Two batters into the 2023 season opener Rutgers was on the scoreboard and by the end of the first inning, the Scarlet Knights were up 4-0. In fact, six pitches into RU's first home at-bat, the Scarlet Knights had a 2-0 lead. Kyleigh Sand led off with a single off a bunt and collected the first of her two runs off a Payton Lincavage double down the right-field line. Not to be outdone, Morgan Smith followed with her first at-bat at the Rutgers Softball Complex with an RBI triple into right center. Taylor Fawcett scored Morgan on a double to right center for the 4-0 edge.
• Aubrey Ketcham gave Saint Peter's its lone run in the top of the second. With two outs and two aboard in scoring position, Ketcham single's to right scored Tai Turner. However, it would be the only run the Peacocks would make.
• Smith came to the plate in the fifth inning to smack a three-run home run over the fence in left field extending RU's lead to 8-1.
• The Scarlet Knights added two more in the sixth. Maddie Lawson reached on a single down the left field line and eventually made her way to third on a wild pitch. While Morgan Smith struck out, a double steal saw Lawson score. With two outs and Lincavage on second, Katie Wingert brought home her teammate with a single thru the left side.
• Saint Peter's put a runner into scoring position for only the second time in the game in their final at-bat in the seventh. Ketcham, who put Saint Peter's onto the scoreboard in the second with an RBI base hit, singled and advanced to second on a miscue with two outs. Relief pitcher Ryann Orange, however, collected the strikeout to end the game.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Morgan Smith registered her fourth home run of the season and sixth of her career. Her triple was her second of the year and third of her career. She also tied her career-high in RBIs having logged four runs batted in in the 10-1 win over Robert Morris on Feb. 24th. Against the Colonials, she notched a three-run walk-off home run in the sixth inning.
• Payton Lincavage tied her career-high in runs for the third time in her career. She last recorded a trio of runs scored at last year's Rutgers Tournament in a 16-0 win over UMES on March 17.

Rutgers 4, Iona 0

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Katie Wingert went 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
• Kobie Hura went yard for a two-run shot in her first home run of the year.
• Maddie Lawson was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
• Jaden Vickers upped her mark to 5-4 on the year. She threw five innings of scoreless softball allowing only two hits and three walks while fanning five of the first six batters she faced.

THE RUNDOWN

• Katie Wingert opened the second inning with a double and Ryann Orange reached on a fielding error with both Scarlet Knights advancing on a sac bunt to the pitcher by Taylor Fawcett. Wingert came home on
• Maddie Lawson's single to the circle giving RU a 1-0 advantage. 
• Iona first got on base in the fourth inning and had a runner reach third in the fifth and second in the sixth, but was unable to break the shutout.
• Rutgers meanwhile added three more runs in the fifth. Wingert collected her second double of the game, an RBI extra-base hit down the left-field line.  Kobie Hura followed with a two-run shot to left for the game's final 4-0 margin. 

KNIGHT NOTES

• The shutout marked the fourth of the season for the Scarlet Knights. RU picked an 8-0 season-opening win over Utah Valley on Feb. 10, a 2-0 win over host Sacramento State on Feb. 12 and a 3-0 victory over host College of Charleston on Feb. 24.
• Katie Wingert posted a pair of doubles in a contest for the first time in her career. She brought her career total to 20 doubles with eight this season. She needs seven more to crack the career top 10 list and five more for the single-season top 10 list.
• Kobie Hura swung for her third career home run.

UP NEXT

Day two of the Rutgers Softball Tournament gets underway at 9 a.m. with UMass-Lowell vs. Iona followed by St. Peter's vs. UMass-Lowell at 11:15 a.m. The Scarlet Knights take the field at approximately 1:30 p.m. against Iona and meets Saint Peter's at 3:45 p.m.

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