CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Rutgers softball split a doubleheader with LMU and Cal Poly on its second day at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. In their first game of the day, the Scarlet Knights dropped an 11-7 decision to the Lions, before bouncing back to defeat the Mustangs, 8-7.

The two-game split moved the Scarlet Knights to 9-5 on the year.

LMU 11, Rutgers 7

• Katie Wingert led the offense for RU, going 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs. The graduate student leads the Scarlet Knights with 19 total RBIs this season.
• Jillian Anderson went 2-for-4 at the plate, knocking in a pair of runs.
• Kayla Bock's added an RBI single.
• Kyleigh Sand went 2-for-4 at the plate, scoring a pair of runs.

• LMU jumped out to an early lead with a two-run home run in the top of the first. Kyleigh Sand quickly cut the Lion's lead in half in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a throwing error by the Lions and beating a throw home to score RU's first run of the contest.
• LMU responded with a seven-run second inning to take a 9-1 lead.
• Katie Wingert and Jillian Anderson provided RBI singles for RU in the bottom of the third, cutting the deficit to 9-3. Kayla Bock added another run for the Scarlet Knights in the fifth with an RBI single.
• As Rutgers closed the gap to five runs, LMU answered in the top of the sixth with a two-run home run to push its lead back out to seven.
• The Scarlet Knights did not back down, though, as Wingert and Anderson answered the call again in the bottom of the sixth, using a combined three RBIs to cut LMU's edge to four.
• RU looked for a seventh-inning comeback, but ultimately fell, 11-7.

Rutgers 8, Cal Poly 7

• Kyleigh Sand batted a strong 3-for-4 at the plate, knocking in a team-high three RBIs.
• Morgan Smith launched her second home run of the weekend with a two-run blast.
• Kayla Bock's single brought in her 14th and 15th RBIs of the season.
• Maddie Lawson went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk at the plate. 
• Payton Lincavage added her second extra-base hit of the weekend with a double in the win.
• Mattie Boyd went the distance for the second time in as many days to earn her sixth win of the campaign.

• Maddie Lawson gave the Scarlet Knights an early 1-0 lead with an RBI-single in the top of the second. The advantage did not last long, however, as Cal Poly quickly responded with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the same inning.
• The Scarlet Knights broke the game open in the top of the third, starting with a two-run blast from Morgan Smith. Kayla Bock added on to RU's newfound lead with a two-out two-RBI single, putting the Scarlet Knights up four. Kyleigh Sand then used a bases-clearing double to give RU an 8-1 lead.
• Cal Poly looked to climb its way back into the contest, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. The Mustangs tacked on a run in the fifth, but Mattie Boyd shut down the opposing offense, preventing any further damage.
• The Mustangs put together a seventh-inning comeback attempt, decreasing their deficit to one with two RBI fielder's choices and an RBI single, but it was not enough. Boyd closed the door on Cal Poly, as Rutgers went on to win, 8-7.

• The Scarlet Knights will return to the diamond on Saturday, Feb. 24 for day three of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. RU will face CSUN in the first game of the day at 5:30 p.m. ET. Rutgers will conclude its run in California against BYU at 11:00 p.m. ET.