Softball Returns To B1G Road Action At Minnesota

Friday, April 19

Minneapolis, Minn.

6:00 PM

Rutgers University

Minnesota

Kyleigh Sand and Maddie Lawson shake hands at second base in the series opener against Nebraska at the RU Softball Complex

Photo by: Vivian Uricoechea

Softball Returns To B1G Road Action At Minnesota

Apr 17 | Softball

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers softball team, in the midst of a seven-game road swing and coming off a 10-2 run-rule nonconference road contest at LIU, is back to Big Ten action at Minnesota with a three-game series beginning Friday against the Golden Gophers.

SCHEDULE INFO

Games:	at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.. \| Jane Sage Cowles Stadium
Game Notes:	Rutgers \| Minnesota
Statistics:	Ru tgers \| Minnesota \| Big Ten
Live Stats & Video:	Friday, April 19 6:00 p.m. - BTN+ \| Live Stats Saturday, April 20 2:00 p.m. - BTN+ \| Live Stats Sunday, April 21 1:00 p.m. - BTN+ \| Live Stats * - All Times ET
Social Media:	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram

ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

Rutgers enters the weekend with a 27-18 overall record and 8-6 mark in Big Ten play coming off a mid-week sweep of Maryland, picking up its first win over Nebraska since 2021 and earning a 10-2 run-rule road victory at LIU
On the stat sheet, senior Morgan Smith leads the Scarlet Knights at the plate hitting .442 with 61 hits, 63 RBIs, 44 runs, 19 home runs and a 978 slugging percentage. In the circle, Smith is 9-9 with a 3.59 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 25 appearances and 113.0 innings of work. She was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday after batting .500 (6-for-12) with four home runs, 16 RBIs, seven runs scored and a 1.583 slugging percentage. The senior Scarlet Knight also added a pair of sac flies and was 3-for-3 on stolen bases and made two appearances in the circle tossing six innings with six strikeouts. With 10 RBIs thanks in part to a grand slam and three-run home run against the Terps, Smith became RU's single-season RBI leader. With her 19th home run of the season extending her streak to six-consecutive games with a home run on Saturday in the second game of the three-game series of Nebraska, Smith moved into second in single-season home runs "On The Banks".
Kyleigh Sand, RU's leadoff hitter, is batting .392 with a team-leading and Big Ten second-best 53 runs along with 14 stolen bases. Sand's 53 runs are currently second among her conference peers behind Jess Oakland of Minnesota's 57.. She has also collected nine doubles and four triples this season and is second in the Big Ten with 29 walks.
Joining Smith inside the circle is Mattie Boyd who is 15-7 on the year with a 2.41 ERA and team-leading 126 strikeouts. In 28 appearances, she has started 22 contests with 15 complete games and a pair of complete game shutouts including a 9-0 shutout over Maryland on Wednesday behind seven strikeouts. She was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week two weeks ago after holding down a 1.17 ERA across 12.0 innings picking up complete game victories on both Saturday and Sunday versus Wisconsin. She fanned 16 Badgers and only allowed two runs on four hits keeping Wisconsin to a .103 batting average.
Katie Wingert became Rutgers' career home runs leader last Friday in a 9-3 series-opening win over Nebraska. The Scarlet Knight, who in March was named the No. 8 catcher by Softball America, surpassed Jackie Bates (2012-15) for the record with 41 career dingers. Wingert is currently hitting .282 along with seven doubles, 12 home runs and 37 RBIs.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING

Morgan Smith ranks in the top 15 in four categories nationally. She continues to lead the Big Ten and sits fourth nationally in home runs with 19 behind Karli Spaid with 25 and Jenna Golembiewski with 24 both of Miami (OH) and Ball State's McKayla Timmons' 20. Smith's RBI total of 63 also leads the Big Ten and sits right behind Golembiewski of Miami (OH)'s nation-leading 65. She also leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in sacrifice flies with seven to-date. Smith's 61 hits are also a top the Big Ten standings and puts her 15th among her Division I peers.
Mattie Boyd is 12th in the country with 15 complete games under her belt.
Kyleigh Sand checks in 11th among Division I player runs per game plating an average of 1.18 per contest.

ABOUT MINNESOTA

Head Coach: Piper Ritter (Minnesota '04) - 119-78-1 Overall (Fourth Season)/119-78-1 at Minnesota (Fourth Season)
2024 Record: 23-20/9-8 Big Ten

All-Time Series: Rutgers trails 1-14 (Last Meeting: March 27, 2022 - L, 3-10)

Top Golden Gophers:
Batting

Jess Oakland - .466 BA, 56 runs 61 hits, 12 doubles, 17 HRs, 49 RBIs
Morgan DeBoard - .372 BA, 30 runs, 42 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HRs, 24 RBIs
Kayla Chavez - .308 BA, 30 runs, 44 hits, 8 doubles, 6 HRs, 27 RBIs

Pitching

Bri Enter - 12-7 W-L, 3.16 ERA 4 CG, 1 save, 110.2 IP, 67 Ks
Macy Richardson - 4-4 W-L, 5.08 ERA - 4-4, 2 G, 52.1 IP, 35 Ks
Jacie Hambrick - 3-5 W-L, 6.09 ERA, 1 save, 58.2 IP, 28 Ks

NEBRASKA SERIES RECAP

Rutgers picked up a 9-4 series-opening victory over Nebraska for the first win over the Cornhuskers since 2021 but fell 13-5 and 7-6 in extra innings in the next two games.
In the series, Morgan Smith totaled two home runs to bring her season total to 19 on the year, along with six RBIs, five runs scored and a 1.143 slugging percentage. Kyleigh Sand led RU at the plate during the series hitting .625 going 5-for-8 with a double and RBI and scored six of RU's 20 runs on the weekend. Leilani Chavez added three hits, two doubles and two runs. Mattie Boyd threw two complete games upped her season total to 15. She collected nine strikeouts across her 15.0 innings of work.
In the opening game of the series, Katie Wingert was crowned as the all-time Scarlet Knight home run leader with her 41st home run of her career. Altogether Rutgers scored nine runs on eight hits including home runs from Smith, Wingert and the first career home run for LA Matthews. Sand was 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Megan Herka also drove in a run with a base hit pinch hitting as did Payton Lincavage on a sac fly. Boyd went the distance for the 14th time this season improving to 15-6. She registered five strikeouts.
In the game two setback, Smith made it her sixth consecutive game with a home run belting number 19 of the season. Chavez and Kayla Bock were both 2-for-3 with a run score. Bock also added a run batted in on RU's first run of the game.
In the series finale, Rutgers led 6-1 heading into the sixth inning where Nebraska came back with five runs to tie the game and eventually take the extra innings victory. Sand was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Smith had a 16-game hit streak halted while produced a league-leading seventh sac fly and came across home twice, including a stolen base. Payton Lincavage smacked her seventh home run of the year. Boyd tossed all eight innings giving up two earned runs while fanning four Cornhuskers.

MARYLAND SERIES RECAP

A Payton Lincavage sac fly scored LA Matthews for the game-winning run in a 7-6 victory in game one and it was a 9-0 run-rule win in game two as Rutgers softball swept Maryland for the second-straight season.
Morgan Smith became RU's single-season RBI leader with 10 RBIs thanks in part to a grand slam and three-run home run in the series. Mattie Boyd got the save in game one and a complete game win behind 5 Ks in game two.
Smith finished the series 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs and 10 RBIs. She surpassed Jackie Bates (2015) as RU's single-season RBIs leader and upped her total to 57 on the year.
Matthews batted .429 in the two games with four runs scored, a double and RBI, while Kyleigh Sand also scored four runs upping her total to 45 on the season.
Altogether, Boyd struck out seven across six innings holding the Terps to a .158 batting average.
In the 7-6 game one win, Smith was 2-for-3 with five RBIs off a two-run double and a three-run home run. Georgia Ingle got the victory to improve to 2-2 allowing one earned run on three hits, while Mattie Boyd got the save striking out two of the three batters faced in the seventh.
In the 9-0 game two victory, Smith delivered a grand slam and collected five more RBIs to become the single-season RBI leader. Sand, Matthews and LIncavage each scored twice with Matthews also posting a double. Boyd tossed her 13^th complete game and second complete-game shutout of the year to improve to 14-6 inside the circle. She fanned five Terps and allowed only three hits.

WISCONSIN SERIES RECAP

Rutgers garnered its second Big Ten series win coming back from a 5-2 setback in the opener to top the Badgers 12-1 in five innings in game two and following with a 4-1 win on Sunday.
Overall on the weekend, Morgan Smith finished the Wisconsin series hitting .750 (6-for-8) with two doubles, two home runs, 5 RBIs and three runs scoring to go with her 1.750 slugging percentage, Maddie Lawson batted .556 (5-for-9) with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and Payton Lincavage was responsible for three of RU's 18 runs against the Badgers going .444 (3-for-8) with a double and home run.
Mattie Boyd held down a 1.17 ERA in 12.0 innings versus the Badgers picking up complete game victories on both Saturday and Sunday. She fanned 16 Badgers and only allowed two runs on four hits keeping Wisconsin to a .103 batting average.
In the opening 5-2 setback, Lincavage and Smith were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Lincavage's double moved her into a tie for seventh all-time at Rutgers with 38 in her career.
In coming back for a 12-1 run-rule victory, Katie Wingert delivered two home runs for her 40th career home run to tie the school record alongside Jackie Bates (2012-15). Altogether the graduate student collected seven RBIs, tying for the second-most in a game in records dating back to 2006. It was the second time this season Wingert produced two dingers in a game also swinging over the fences twice in a 7-4 win over Colgate on Feb. 10. Her grand slam was RU's first in two years with the last coming off the bat of Gabrielle Callaway back on March 25, 2022 at home against Minnesota. Smith also collected a home run, while Lawson went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs and Bailey Briggs also registered an RBI double. Boydupped her mark to 12-6 in the circle tossing all five innings for her 11^th complete game of the season. She allowed only one run and two hits while fanning six Badgers.
In the 4-1 series finale victory, Smith hit her league and team-leading 15 home run of the season and upped her RBI total to 47 to move into a tie for second in RBIs in a season at Rutgers. Lincavage made it back-to-back dingers with her sixth long ball of the year. LA Matthews went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Kyleigh Sand notched her fourth triple of the season. In the circle, Mattie Boyd captured her 12th complete game of the year and improved to 13-6 inside the circle behind 10 strikeouts. She reached double-figure strikeouts for the third time this season and was one shy of tying her career high. She gave up just two hits on the day.

PURDUE SERIES RECAP

Rutgers topped Purdue 5-1 in the series opener. With the score tied at 1-1 entering the seventh, the Scarlet Knights plated four runs in their final at-bat in the seventh for the win.
Morgan Smith tossed a complete game victory with five strikeouts and scored one of RU's four runs in the top of the seventh. It was the senior Scarlet Knights' sixth complete game of the year. She allowed only one run on five hits to improve to 8-5.
Kyleigh Sand was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Payton Lincavage, whose squeeze bunt kicked off scoring in the seventh, and Kayla Bock, pushed across RU's first run of the game on a bases-loaded walk, both had an RBI and run scored.
The series came to a close in a doubleheader where RU had early leads in both contests, but Purdue came back for a 6-5 extra-inning victory in game one and took the series with a 5-3 win in game two.
In the extra innings setback, Mattie Boyd started the contest allowing no hits and no runs with only four Boilermakers reaching base. Smith registered the loss to drop to 8-6 in the circle with two earned runs on three hits tossing the final 3.2 of the game. At the plate, she delivered her 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot to give RU a 2-0 edge after a half inning of play.
LA Matthews registered a pair of doubles and an RBI as well.
In the series finale Smith collected her second home run of the day and 13th of the season. She got the start dropping to 8-6 throwing 2.1 innings with three strikeouts before Georgia Ingle tossed the final 3.2 allowing two hits and no runs.
Sand added an RBI with a sac fly and Jillian Anderson was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
On the weekend, Smith finished the second Big Ten weekend batting .375 (3-for-8) with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs. She made three appearances in the circle tossing 13.0 innings with 11 strikeouts holding opponents to a .188 batting average. Jillian Anderson was also .375 from the plate (3-for-8) with two runs scored. Matthews batted .333 (3-for-9) with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI.

OHIO STATE SERIES RECAP

Rutgers earned its first-ever series victory over Ohio State taking two of three from the Buckeye in the first Big Ten Weekend.
Both Morgan Smith and Maddie Lawson hit .556 (5-for-9) on the weekend. Smith totaled three home runs, a double, a triple, six RBIs and six runs scored while holding a 1.889 slugging percentage. Lawson collected two doubles and five RBIs.
Smith went 1-1 in the circle with a 1.45 ERA giving up only two earned runs while striking out five in 9.2 innings of work.
Mattie Boyd made three appearances collecting the complete-game victory for the series win. In her 13.1 innings, she sent down 16 Buckeyes on strikes.
In the 6-1 series opener, Payton Lincavage belted a pair of home runs for a trio of RBIs. With her two runs scored, Lincavage moved into a tie for third all-time in career runs at Rutgers with 138 and her three runs batted in helped the graduate student crack RU's all-time top 10 with 104 RBIs. Lincavage's two home runs also moved her into a tie for seventh all-time with 21 career Scarlet Knight dingers. Smith, meanwhile, got the win in the circle striking out five Buckeyes in 6.1 innings of work to improve to 7-4. She also added two runs and an RBI triple, her fourth of the season. Katie Wingert also delivered a double and run scored. RU kept OSU off the scoreboard until the seventh.
In game two, the two squads played to an 8-8 tie on Friday afternoon before the game was halted due to darkness and picked up on Sunday where OSU tied up the series with an 11-9 win despite two home runs from Morgan Smith and a career-high four RBIs from Lawson in the game. While RU went up 6-0 after three innings of play the Buckeyes took the lead in the sixth with five runs on five hits for an 8-7 edge before Smith knotted the score with a home run in the bottom of the inning setting up extra innings.
RU rebounded with an 8-6 victory in the finale. Katie Wingert moved closer to becoming the Scarlet Knights' all-time home runs leader, Smith belted her third round-tripper of the series and Mattie Boyd rang up 10 Buckeyes on strikes in a complete game victory. Boyd moved to 11-6 on the year in her 10th complete game with her 10 strikeouts marking her second double-digit effort of the season, one shy of matching her career high.

NONCONFERENCE MIDWEEK RECAPS

The Scarlet Knights defeated LIU, 10-2, at the LIU Softball Stadium in five innings behind a pair of home runs and five RBIs from the bat of Payton Lincavage on April 16. Joining Lincavage with two runs scored was Kyleigh Sand and Leilani Chavez. LA Matthews went 3-for-4 including a double with an RBI and run scored. Maddie Lawson collected a pair of RBIs. Morgan Smith tossed all five innings to move to 9-9 inside the circle. The senior Scarlet Knight gave up only one earned run on three hits and struck out a trio.RU dropped a 2-0 decision at Virginia on March 19 in its final game before opening conference play. The Cavaliers put up a run in the fourth and fifth innings while Mattie Boyd tossed a complete game for the Scarlet Knights racking up five strikeouts. Defensively, Katie Wingert and Maddie Lawson connected to catch a pair of Cavaliers stealing while hits came from the bats of Kyleigh Sand, Morgan Smith and Leilani Chavez.
The Scarlet Knights collected its fourth shutout of the year in a 5-0 win at Cal Baptist on March 13. Mattie Boyd pitched six innings giving up just two hits, both singles, while striking out seven Lancers to improve to 9-5 on the year. Kyleigh Sand, LA Matthews, Katie Wingert, Leilani Chavez and Lauren Punk all collected RBIs.
Rutgers met No. 15 ULCA in a Big Ten prequel on March 13. The two squads were tied at 6-6 before the host Bruins put across the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Kayla Bock posted a three-run home run in the third giving Rutgers a 3-1 edge on UCLA. Morgan Smith started the game in the circle and hurled 3.1 innings, striking out two and giving up five runs on five hits. At the plate, Smith tied the ballgame up at 6-6 with one out plating two runs on a single. Georgia Ingle saw 1.3 innings of work allowing three hits and no runs while Mattie Boyd fell to 8-5 in the year throwing the final 1.1 innings. The Bruins led 1-0 after the first inning but Bock delivered a three-run blast over the wall in right field to five RU a 3-1 edge after two and half of play. UCLA tied the game in the third, retook the lead in the fourth and extended its lead to 6-3 at the end of six. Rutgers loaded the bases in the seventh resulting in three runs coming across and tying the ballgame. RU was all board for LA Matthews to single to left-center to score Maddie Lawson and a single up the middle by Morgan Smith brought home Kobie Hura and Kyleigh Sand to knot the score at 6-6. The bases were loaded for the Bruins in the bottom of the seventh for Jadelyn Allchin to produce a walk-off single into a right-center for the win.

SAN DIEGO SERIES RECAP

Rutgers took two of three from San Diego to close out its spring break west coast trip.
The Scarlet Knights dropped the opener, 3-2, in extra innings. Payton Lincavage scored both Scarlet Knight runs and collected a triple to move into a tie for sixth on the all-time list. Kayla Bock was 2-for-4 with an RBI double that scored Lincavage to tie the game at 2-2 in the sixth. Morgan Smith hurled a complete game but fell to 5-4 inside the circle. She struck out four along the way.
RU rebounded for 13-2 six-inning win in game two. The win, which saw Mattie Boyd earn her 10th victory, five Scarlet Knights plate two runs and Katie Wingert move into ninth all-time in doubles. Rutgers tied its season high for a third time this season with 14 hits, including four hits in the top of the sixth to score six runs. Morgan Smith led the way going 3-for-5 with a double, triple and two RBIs Katie Wingert collected a pair of RBI doubles to move into ninth all-time "On The Banks" with 34 in her Scarlet Knight career. Kyleigh Sand and LA Matthews both posted two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored each. Kobie Hura knocked two runs in and scored twice. Kayla Bock added two hits and two runs as well. Mattie Boyd threw all six innings for her seventh complete game of the year improving to 10-5 overall. She struck out four Toreros along the way.
In the finale, the Scarlet Knights earned a 5-3 win. Bailey Briggs delivered a two-run double in her first career hit helping Rutgers to a three-run top of the seventh in the victory. Mattie Boyd, meanwhile, earned her first save sending down the final two Torero batters swinging with runners on first and second.

BULLDOG INVITATIONAL RECAP

Rutgers downed CSUN for a second time this season in extras having also met the Matadors at Mary Nutter. CSUN answered two Rutgers leads, but ultimately it was the Scarlet Knights dropping in three runs in the top of the eighth for the victory. Kyleigh Sand was 4-for-4 with two runs and pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a double. LA Matthews went 3-for-3 with an RBI double and a career-high three runs scored. Mattie Boyd got the start inside the circle going six innings with four runs on six hits and three strikeouts. Morgan Smith entered the circle in the seventh with the score knotted at 4-4 to collect the win to improve to 5-2 on the year. In her two innings of work, Smith allowed one hit and struck out one Matador.
The Scarlet Knights dropped both its games with Nevada. In the 6-4 nine-inning loss, Rutgers came back from a 3-0 deficit and took a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning, but the Wolf Pack topped the Scarlet Knights after a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-4 win. Kyleigh Sand went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and run scored. Her triple moved her into a tie for eighth on Rutgers' career triples leaders list with six. Morgan Smith, who started the game inside the circle, and Payton Lincavage also scored runs. Smith's run tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth and Lincavage's run put RU up 4-3 in the top of the ninth. In game two, RU fell 7-3. Smith dropped o 5-3 in the circle but went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Georgia Ingle tossed 4.0 innings giving up four hits and no earned runs. Payton Lincavage, Leilani Chavez and Jillian Anderson scored the trio of Rutgers runs.
RU rebounded with a 10-1 victory over host Fresno State to close tournament play. Mattie Boyd went the distance for the seventh time this season picking up five strikeouts. Morgan Smith was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Katie Wingert and Lauren Punk both added two RBIs each. For Wingert, her double moved her into ninth in career doubles while both of Punk's runs batted in came in a six-run top of the seventh for the Scarlet Knights. Kyleigh Sand and Jillian Anderson scored two runs apiece.

MIZUNO INVITATIONAL RECAP

The Scarlet Knights picked up a 7-1 win over Lafayette, a 4-0 shutout over host UNC and a 10-2 run-rule victory over Rider. RU's lone setback was 3-2 loss to 2024 Big South champion Campbell in extra innings.
Payton Lincavage and Kyleigh Sand both hit .583 on the weekend with seven hits, four runs and two RBIs each. Lincavage captured a double, triple and home run and posted a 1.083 slugging percentage.
At the plate, Morgan Smith hit. 375 with a triple, home run and team-leading seven RBIs, while inside the circle she captured a complete game shutout of host UNC with six strikeouts.
In the 7-1 victory over Leopards, Rutgers reached double-figure hits for the sixth time this season. Jillian Anderson, Sand and Leilani Chavez were all 2-for-2 in the game. Anderson plated a pair of runs, Chavez scored one and Sand registered an RBI. Lincavage scored twice and Lauren Punk collected a two-RBI double. Laurelai DePew garnered her first start as a Scarlet Knight while Georgia Ingle got the win. Both pitchers struck out two along the way.
Against the host Tar Heels, Rutgers only needed two pitches to take the lead and shutout its ACC host behind a complete game shutout from Smith. Smith went the distance inside the circle for her first shutout of the 2024 campaign giving up five hits, none for extra bases, while fanning six Tar Heels. At the plate, the senior Scarlet Knight connected for her seventh home run of the year. Sand went 2-for-3 scoring the game's opening run, while Lincavage was 2-for-4 including a double with a run scored. LA Matthews and Kayla Bock each had RBI doubles in the win, Chavez added an RBI hit and Anderson went 2-for-2 at the plate.
In the 3-2 eight-inning setback to the Camels, Rutgers held a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth when the Camels tied the game and forced extra innings before plating two with two outs in the eighth for the win. Sand and Matthews scored both RU runs. Matthews was 2-for-3 while five other Scarlet Knights registered a hit. Mattie Boyd tossed 7.2 innings giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out eight Camels.
RU returned to the win column in a 10-2 win in five innings over the Broncs.

MARY NUTTER RECAP

Rutgers went 4-2 at the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with victories over Hawaii, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and CSUN.
Kayla Bock led RU at the pate hitting .474 with nine RBIs on nine hits.
Katie Wingert also smacked a pair of home runs on the trip hitting .353 with six runs batted in.
Kyleigh Sand added eight runs and two stolen bases on her return to her home state.
Morgan Smith hit .400 with three home runs and eight RBIs while tossing 17.0 innings with nine strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA.
Mattie Boyd finished the California trip 3-1 inside the circle throwing 19.0 innings with 10 total strikeouts.
Tournament action opened with RU coming back from a 6-1 deficit to take a 14-7 win over Hawaii and open up with a 4-1 edge after one inning in a 7-5 win over UC Riverside.
RU split day two action dropping an 11-7 decision to LMU before returning to the field to defeat Cal Poly breaking open the game in the top of the third on a two-run blast from Morgan Smith and Kayla Bock adding on with a two-out, two-RBI single.
Play concluded with the Scarlet Knights exploding for six runs in the ninth for an 8-3 extra innings loss to CSUN before falling 9-1 to BYU.

PANTHER INVITATIONAL RECAP

Rutgers softball split day one of the Panther Invitational with a no-hitter against Army West Point and a loss to No. 10 Duke with the two squads coming in tied 1-1 into the game's final inning.
The Scarlet Knights opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Black Knights behind a no-hitter from Mattie Boyd.
RU went in front against the top ten Blue Devils early as Katie Wingert's sixth home run in seven games put RU up after two innings. Duke, however, tied the game up in the fifth on a home run of their own and added three unearned runs in the seventh to avoid an upset loss.
Rutgers dropped a pair of contests with host FIU on day two. FIU topped RU in game one, 4-3 and got past the Scarlet Knights in extra innings, 3-2, in bracket play in the No. 2 vs No. 3 game.
In game one, Morgan Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs while Kyleigh Sand was 1-for-3 with two runs and moved into a tie for fourth on the career stolen base leaders list. LA Matthews was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Mattie Boyd, meanwhile, went 5.1 innings in her first loss of the season with two strikeouts.
In game two, Morgan Smith made it back-to-back games with a home run and added a double while tossing a complete game with four strikeouts. She was responsible for both RU's runs scored. She dropped to 2-2 in the circle.
Rutgers softball closed out its trip to the Panther Invitational with a run-rule shutout of Army, 9-0. Mattie Boyd got the win in the circle while Katie Wingert had hits on all three trips to the plate and knocked in a pair of runs. Wingert was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. The Scarlet Knight catcher also posted her third double of the season. Kyleigh Sand collected a triple, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Kobie Hura was also responsible for a pair of runs coming across home plate. Boyd tossed three innings with four strikeouts as she improved to 4-1 inside the circle.

HOUSTON INVITATIONAL RECAP

Rutgers softball celebrated opening day 2024 with a pair of victories. The Scarlet Knights took down Colgate 9-1 in a run-rule five-inning contest and wrapped up the day powering to a 14-5 victory against Indiana State.
Katie Wingert managed home runs in both contests to move into third all-time at Rutgers in the category while Kyleigh Sand's five runs scored against the Sycamores tied for the most runs in a game in records dating back to 2004.
In the 9-1 win over Colgate, Mattie Boyd made her Rutgers debut inside the circle allowing only one hit while racking up 11 strikeouts. Kayla Bock was 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs, while Both LA Matthews and Payton Lincavage were 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Katie Wingert gave RU its first home run of the year with a two-run shot to move up on the Rutgers all-time list on her second pitch of the year leading to a 4-1 lead for the Scarlet Knights at the end of one.
In game two, a 14-5 win over Indiana State, Kyleigh Sand ended the night going 3-for-5 with five runs and three RBIs. Sand's five runs scored were the most since Stephanie Huang's five scored in a 22-17 win over Michigan State on April 4, 2015. Sand's and Huang's five runs are the most by a Scarlet Knight in a single game in stats dating back to 2004. Adding to the victory was LA Matthews with another strong performance at the plate also going 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs while adding a pair of runs. Maddie Lawson went 2-for-3 with a career-high three runs and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Katie Wingert's first plate appearance of the game resulted in another two-run home run. Morgan Smith got the win by tossing 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts while adding a two-RBI double. Georgia Ingle threw the final three innings to garner the save, the third of her career.
On day two, Katie Wingert added three more home runs and five more RBIs in helping lead Rutgers softball to a 4-0 start with a 10-2 victory over the host Cougars and a 7-4 win against Colgate. Mattie Boyd and Morgan Smith both pitched complete game victories while the Scarlet Knight bats produced 26 hits in the day's two games.
In the first game of day two RU was down early against Houston with the Cougars taking a 2-0 lead in their first at-bat before Rutgers took the lead in the third scoring 10 unanswered runs. Katie Wingert made it the third-straight game with a dinger and ended the game 3-for-4. Morgan Smith posted her first home run of the season and totaled a team-leading three runs. Altogether, 10 different Scarlet Knights registered a hit. Mattie Boyd registered her second-straight complete game allowing two runs on three hits along with a pair of strikeouts to improve to 2-0 inside the circle.
The Scarlet Knights overcame a 4-0 deficit in game two of day two versus Colgate tying up the game in the top of the fifth and getting three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Katie Wingert helped Rutgers come from behind with a 3-for-3 performance including a pair of home runs and three RBIs to move into a tie for second-all time at Rutgers. Morgan Smith got the win inside the circle tossing a complete game with six strikeouts to up her mark to 2-0 while going 3-for-3 at the plate with her first home run of the season. Kyleigh Sand and LA Matthews also had a pair of hits in the win.
Rutgers dropped the finale, a 6-3 decision, to Houston. Kayla Bock led RU going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, while Katie Wingert was 1-for-4 with a double. Georgia Ingle made her first career start going 3.2 innings.

B1G AWARDS

Katie Wingert was named Big Ten Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/Wilson Selected Top Performer on Feb. 13 after helping Rutgers to a 4-1 opening weekend hitting .444 with five home runs going long in four of five games to move into second all-time at Rutgers in home runs. She also added eight hits, five runs and 10 RBIs and held down a 1.333 slugging percentage in wins over Houston, Colgate and Indiana State.
Wingert opened the weekend taking her second pitch of the 2024 season deep for a two-run shot and a lead RU would not relinquish in a 9-1 run-rule victory over Colgate. Game two saw Wingert with a 3-run blast in her first plate appearance in RU's 14-5 win over Indiana State. The home runs continued for Wingert on day two with three total. She went 3-for-4 smacking her first pitch of the third inning over the wall to give Rutgers the lead at 3-2 in the eventual 10-2 victory versus weekend host Houston. Wingert followed with two more dingers in the game that immediately followed in a 7-4 victory over Colgate. Wingert initiated RU's comeback from a four-run deficit with a solo long ball in the third. After RU took the lead in the sixth, Wingert added some cushion with a two-run bomb. Her streak of home runs marked the second time Katie Wingert has had at least three consecutive games with home runs. She also went over the fence in consecutive games against Tennessee Tech on March 9, 2018 and Saint Joseph's on March 15, 2019 in her freshman campaign. It marked Winger's second Big Ten Weekly Award. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week back on April 19, 2019 after hitting three home runs and driving six during a Big Ten series sweep of Penn State.
Mattie Boyd was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and Louisville Slugger/Wilson Selected Top Performer on Apri. 8 after she held down a 1.17 ERA in 12.0 innings picking up two complete-game victories to help lead the Scarlet Knights to its first-ever series win over Wisconsin. She fanned 16 Badgers and only allowed two runs on four hits keeping Wisconsin to a .103 batting average.
Boyd allowed only one run on two hits while striking out five in RU's 12-1 run-rule victory to even the series with the Badgers. The Scarlet Knight followed with her 12^th complete game of the 2024 campaign in RU's 4-1 win to improve to 13-6 inside the circle. She struck out 10 marking her third double-digit strikeout game of the year and was one shy of tying her career high. She gave up only two hits in the game.

PRESEASON PRIMER

The Rutgers softball team returns 12 letterwinners, including seven starters, and adds seven newcomers to this year's roster.
A year ago, Rutgers picked up a 30-win season for the first time since 1994 ending the year at 32-25 overall with its best start since 1980.
The Scarlet Knights captured its first top-25 victory since 2012 with a win over #18/19 Northwestern, a team that ultimately reached the NCAA Super Regionals.
RU opened the year at 8-0 for the first time in 43 seasons and finished the nonconference schedule at 23-11.
The squad returned to the Big Ten Tournament behind a victory over No. 18/19 and Big Ten champion Northwestern, along with Big Ten series sweeps of Illinois and Maryland.
The Scarlet Knights earned five conference post-season honors with three named Second Team All-Big along with nods to third baseman Payton Lincavage, outfielder/pitcher Morgan Smith and shortstop Kyleigh Sand. Smith was also named Big Ten All-Defense. Morgan Smith and Kyleigh Sand were also named All-Region honorees
Payton Lincavage was bestowed the prestigious Rawlings Golden Glove Award as the nation's top third baseman having committed only one error the entire season.

UP NEXT

Rutgers softball continues on the road with a three-game series at Michigan State beginning on Friday, April 26.

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