PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball's winning ways at the 2023 Rutgers Tournament continued on Saturday with a pair of run-rule victories.

The Scarlet Knights opened day two with a 9-1 victory over Iona and concluded with an 11-3 win against Saint Peter's getting both games done in six innings.

Altogether Rutgers totaled 20 runs by cranking out 17 hits, six doubles and three home runs while collecting 18 RBIs.

The wins improved RU to 21-10 on the year.

Rutgers 9, Iona 1 - 6 innings

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Taylor Fawcett and Megan Herka both hit home runs to help RU to its 20th win of the season.
• Fawcett was 2-for-2 with three runs scored while Payton Lincavage was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs.
• Morgan Smith also added a pair of hits in the win.
• Ashley Hitchcock moved to 7-0 inside the circle with five innings of work allowing two hits, one run and sending five of her first six batters faced down on strikes.

THE RUNDOWN

• The Gaels took a 1-0 lead in the second as Jaime Sheeran led off the top of the inning with a solo home run to left field. Iona, however, would be limited only to two more hits the rest of the contest.
• Rutgers tied the game up in the bottom of the inning as Taylor Fawcett took her second pitch down the left field line and out of the park.
• The third inning saw the Scarlet Knight produce five runs on three hits. Katie Wingert put Rutgers on top with a two-run double while Megan Herka blasted a three-run shot to right-center giving RU a 6-1 edge.
• Fawcett led off the fifth with a single, stole second, reached third on a wild pitch and came on a Maddie Lawson sac fly to right extending the Scarlet Knight advantage to 7-1.
• RU ended the ball game in the sixth with a pair of runs. A Kiersten Withstandley infield hit scored Payton Lincavage and Kobie Hura stole home.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Taylor Fawcett captured home run number three of the season and the ninth of her career.
• Megan Herka knocked in her first home run of the year and the fourth of her career. Her three RBIs are a career-high besting her previous high of two captured against Minnesota in her freshman year back on March 12, 2021. .

Rutgers 11, Saint Peter's 3 - 6 innings

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Rutgers connected on a season-high 15 hits led by a 3-for-3 performance from Ryann Orange. Orange was one of five Scarlet Knights to log a double and collected four RBIs and a run scored.
• Morgan Smith went 2-for-3 with a double and scored the run to give Rutgers an eight-run lead and the ball game. She also picked up the win to go to 3-3 on the year throwing three innings and allowing one run on five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
• A pair of hits also belonged to Payton Lincavage and Taylor Fawcett, who also registered doubles. 

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers jumped out to a 4-0 as the Scarlet Knights jumped on the Peacocks with four hits, including a trio of doubles. Morgan Smith and Taylor Fawcett both captured RBI extra-base hits while Ryann Orange brought home two of her four RBIs on a single.
• In the second, Kobie Hura stole home to add to the lead. Kyleigh Sand walked and with the ball still in play started to make her way to second. As Saint Peter's went after Sand, Hura snuck home for the 5-0 RU edge.
• A pair of hits, including an RBI double by Dakota Pitts put the Peacocks on the board in the third, but the Scarlet Knights responded by dropping in two more runs in their trip to the plate. Maddie Lawson captured her second sacrifice fly of the day to score Orange while Lauren Punk came home of the error on the throw in from the outfield for the 7-1 advantage,
• Saint Peter's tacked on two runs in the fifth was a two-run home run by Courtney Fraher to left-center field, which Rutgers got back in the bottom of the inning. Punk went deep to center field for a solo home run and
• Kobie Hura singled to right to score Taylor Lane for a 9-1 lead.
• The Scarlet Knights had the bases loaded in the sixth and with two outs, Orange was hit by a pitch scoring Payton Lincavage and Lane walked to send home Morgan Smith to invoke the run rule and end the game.

KNIGHT NOTES

• The Scarlet Knights reached double-figure hits for the tenth time in 2023 with its season-high 15 against the Peacocks. RU's previous high was 14 in a 16-1 over Mississippi Valley State back on Feb. 17.
• Rutgers also reached double-figure RBIs for the fifth time this season.
• Ryann Orange tied her career mark for a third time this season in leading RU with a trio of hits. She also had three hits against Charleston (Feb. 25, 2023) and vs. Robert Morris (Feb. 24) in the week she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Her four RBIs were also a career number surpassing her previous high of three in the win over the Cougars.
• Lauren Punk swung for her second home run of the season and third of her career.
• The Scarlet Knights notched five doubles, one shy of the season-high. Thru four games of tournament play, the squad has amassed 10 total doubles.
• The game also marked the fifth run-rule victory of the season.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers Tournament concludes on Sunday. Holy Cross will meet Iona at 11:15 a.m. while Rutgers takes on UMass-Lowell at 1:30 p.m. and Holy Cross at 3:45 p.m. Admission to all games at the Rutgers Softball Complex are free.

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