PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It was a B1G senior day for Rutgers softball.

The Scarlet Knights swept a Saturday doubleheader against Penn State on Saturday at the RU Softball Complex taking game one, 5-3, and game two, 9-5, behind home runs from Megan Herka, Jillian Anderson, Katie Wingert and Kayla Bock.

Rutgers also captured another record book entry as with her two runs in the game two victory, Kyleigh Sand became the Scarlet Knights career runs leader with 166 runs scored.

The two wins improved RU to 33-21 overall and 14-9 in the Big Ten as the Scarlet Knights head to the 2024 Big Ten Tournament hosted by Iowa next week. The full tournament bracket will be available on Sunday following the conclusion of all conference contests.

Rutgers 5, Penn State 3

• Megan Herka and Jillian Anderson both blasted their first home runs of the season. Both were 2-for-3 on the day with two RBIs.
• Maddie Lawson collected a pair of runs scored.
• Mattie Boyd improved to 19-9 in her 19th complete game of the season. She struck out eight Nittany Lions along the way.

• Rutgers went out in front in the bottom of the second. Megan Herka delivered the first home run of the contest over the wall in center field. Later with two outs, Penn State overthrew first base on Jillian Anderson's bunt allowing Maddie Lawson to score for a 2-0 edge. 
• Penn State tied the ball game up in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run to left from Gaby Garcia.
• The Scarlet Knights, however, took back the lead with two runs on a home run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Jillian Anderson went beyond the right field wall for a two-run blast giving Lawson her second run of the game and a 4-2 RU edge.
• Morgan Smith doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth and came home on three batters later on a single up the middle from Herka.
• A pair of hits including an RBI single to left from Bridget Nemeth added a run in the top of the seventh but Mattie Boyd retired the side with her eighth strikeout of the game for the ball game.

Rutgers 9, Penn State 5

• Kyleigh Sand, who last week became RU's season runs leader, became the Scarlet Knights' career runs leader with a pair in the victory. In her three seasons, she has scored 166 runs besting the previous record set in 1999 by Karen Pelky. Sand finished the game 3-for-4.
• Rutgers scored a pair of runs in the first, second, third and fourth innings. 
• Katie Wingert blasted her 42nd career home run and 13th of the season.
• Kayla Bock also delivered a two-run shot and added a pair of runs.
• LA Matthews notched an RBI double.
• At the plate, Morgan Smith registered an RBI while inside the circle she tossed four innings and improved to 11-10 on the year.

• It was another early 2-0 lead for the Scarlet Knights. In the bottom of the first, Kyleigh Sand led off with a single to center and scored on a Morgan Smith double to center. With two outs, a Megan Herka pop-up in front of the plate was dropped giving Smith the opening to score.
• Just like game one, Penn State tied the game up in their next plate appearance. Bridget Nemeth used a two-run home run to center for the 2-2 tie.
• The Scarlet Knights once again countered with a pair of runs of their own to take the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. With two aboard, LA Matthews doubled deep to left-center to score Kayla Bock. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. While Katie Wingert grounded out,  Sand was able to score her first run of the contest to tie the school record.
• RU continued to grow the lead with a two-run Kayla Bock home run to right in the third. 
• The fourth inning saw the Scarlet Knights go out to a 6-2 lead. After a Payton Lincavage triple, the 10th of her career, Megan Herka produced an RBI single and Jillian Anderson scored pinch-runner Kobie Hura on a double.
• After six consecutive runs by the Scarlet Knights, the Nittany Lions added a run on a Michela Barbanente home run to left-center.
• The Scarlet Knights answered, however, with RU's all-time home run leader homering to center field in her final home game for a 9-3 edge.
• Barbanente repeated with a home run for Penn State in the top of the sixth.
• The Nittany Lions tacked on a run in the seventh on a sac fly from Liana Jones for the game's final run.

• The Rutgers softball team will travel to Iowa City, Iowa this week for the 2024 Big Ten Tournament hosted by the University of Iowa at Bob Pearl Field. The full Tournament bracket will be available following the conclusion of Sunday's conference finales.