LUBBOCK, Texas – Rutgers softball split day two at Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights defeated North Dakota in five innings, 11-1, but dropped a 6-5 decision to Texas Tech as the Red Raiders came from behind in the seventh.

With the 1-1 day, Rutgers moved to 15-4 on the season.

Rutgers 11, North Dakota 1 - 5 innings

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Rutgers captured 11 hits including home runs from the bats of Taylor Fawcett and Lauren Punk.
• Payton Lincavage was 3-for-3 in the opener with two runs and two RBIs.
• Fawcett posted a career-high four RBIs thanks in part to a three-run home going 2-for-3.
• Kyleigh Sand and Ryann Orange each added two hits and two runs each.
• Raimy Gamsby got the victory to up her record to 5-1 on the season. She sent down five on strikes and allowed only one hit throwing the first three innings of the game. Ryann Orange threw the final two innings with one hit and a pair of strikeouts.

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers jumped out once again to an early lead on North Dakota with four hits leading to four runs. Opening the game at the plate, Kyleigh Sand and Ryann Orange had first pitch base hits and both advanced on a wild pitch. Morgan Smith collected an RBI on a ground out to second to start the scoring. RU added three more runs on back-to-back doubles. Taylor Fawcett sent home three runs and scored on Payton Lincavage two-base hit.
• Kyleigh Sand helped the Scarlet Knights tack on a run in the second. Her sacrifice fly scored Taylor Lane giving Rutgers a 5-0 edge.
• Taylor Fawcett, who had a career-high three RBIs in both games on Friday, drilled a 3-run home run to right center putting her RU squad up 8-0 in the third inning.
• Two more runs were added in the fourth. Throwing miscues by the Fighting Hawks allowed Sand to notch her second run of the game while Katie Wingert's sacrifice fly to score Ryann Orange gave Rutgers a 10-0 lead.
• North Dakota thwarted the shutout in the fourth. Cassie Castaneda gave the Fighting Hawks its second and final hit of the game taking a 1-1 pitch over the wall in center.  
• Rutgers, however, responded by hitting a home run of its own when they returned to the plate. Lauren Punk deposited the ball deep to center field on a full count for her first home run of the season for the final 11-1 margin.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers hit two home runs in a contest for the fourth time this season. The Scarlet Knights also captured a pair of dingers in a 10-1 victory over Robert Morris, in a 9-4 win at Charleston and in the first game with North Dakota in a 12-4 victory.
• Payton Lincavage tied her career high with three hits for the sixth time in her career and second time this season. She also had three hits in RU's 8-5 win over Seattle opening weekend.
• Lincavage also posted her fifth double of the year.
• Raimy Gamsby captured five or more strikeouts for the fourth time in her nine appearances.

Texas Tech 6, Rutgers 5

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• The Red Raiders came from behind with six runs on seven hits to top the Scarlet Knights.
• Kyleigh Sand was 2-for-2 scoring three of RU's five runs.
• Ryann Orange was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
• Morgan Smith pitched 6.1 innings striking out six along the way. Jaden Vickers took the loss dropping to 4-2 on the year.

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers got onto the scoreboard in the top of the third with three runs on two outs. Kyleigh Sand scored off a wild pitch while a Katie Wingert sacrifice fly scored Morgan Smith for the 2-0 lead.
• The Scarlet Knights added runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh heading into Texas Tech's final at-bat up 5-0.
• The fifth inning saw Ryann Orange single to right-center field with Sand using her speed to score from first.
• In the sixth, it was the Orange-Sand combo again. This time, Orange doubled to left center scoring Sand from first.
• Georgia Ingle came to the plate in the seventh as a pinch hitter. With two outs, Ingle singled to left center to bring home Taylor Fawcett from first base.
• The bottom of the seventh began with a leadoff home run to right center for Texas Tech's Carson Amijo. Two Red Raiders were aboard for the top of the order to come to the plate with one out. Makinzy Herzog singled thru the right side for a pair of runs and Peyton Blythe tripled down the right field line to trail 5-4. Ellie Bailey reached base on an infield single setting up Kailey Wyckoff to knock in two runs on a triple to left center and the 6-5 victory.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Kyleigh Sand moved into a tie for sixth all-time in stolen bases with 43. She needs two more to tie Quyen Tran (1997-200) for fifth and nine more to tie Carla Camino (1990-93) for third. Additionally, her 20 stolen bases on the season put her into a tie for eighth on the single-season leaders list. She needs three more to move into a four-way tie with Karen Pelky (1992), Jess Hughes (2019) and her own 23 from a year ago.

UP NEXT

Rutgers will close out its trip to Lubbock, Texas and the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Tournament meeting Seton Hall at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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