DECATUR, Ga. – Freshman Ella Harrison tossed her first career no-hitter and classmate Riley Hwang scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch as Rutgers softball opened the Bob Heck Memorial Tournament on Friday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over North Dakota.
Rutgers 1, North Dakota 0
- Right-hander Ella Harrison tossed a career-high 16 strikeouts in her first career no-hitter and second career shutout. It was the most strikeouts since Jaden Vickers threw 17 at Purdue back on April 29, 2022 and the first no-hitter since Mattie Boyd's no-no against Army on February 16, 2024. Harrison improved to 6-7 on the year as she brought her season total to 106 Ks on the year.
- Freshman Kelsie Riggan captured the game's only hit on a perfectly executed bunt in the seventh with no outs.
- Freshman Riley Hwang plated her seventh run of the season for the victory.
- It was a scoreless and hitless contest heading into the bottom of the sevbenth. While Rutgers' Ella Harrison had 16 strikeouts going into the Scarlet Knights' final at-bat, North Dakota's Jackie Albrecht headed into the bottom half of the inning also holding down a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts.
- Riley Hwang led off with a walk while Kelsie Riggan beat out the throw on a bunt placed right in front of the plate to put runners on first and second. Hwang stole third with Riggan advancing to second. With one out, a wild pitch gave Hwang the opening to score the game-winning run.
Rutgers softball is back in action on Saturday for two games at the Bob Heck Memorial Tournament. The Scarlet Knights face North Dakota again at 10:30 a.m. and meet West Georgia at 3:30 p.m.
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