PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball fell to Seton Hall on Wednesday afternoon at the RU Softball Complex as the Pirates came up with a big sixth-inning rally and insurance runs in the seventh to hold off the Scarlet Knights 15-8.

RU led 7-3 heading into the sixth inning where Seton Hall was able to push across eight runs while adding four in the seventh, with grand slams in both innings, for the victory.

Seton Hall 15, Rutgers 8

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Graduate student LA Matthews collected her fifth home run of the year and finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
• Redshirt freshman Stephanie Kraska was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
• Freshman Riley Hwang was 2-for-2 with a run scored and RBI.
• Classmate Addie Osborne sent in a pair of RBIs with redshirt sophomore Bailey Briggs adding an RBI on a sac fly.
• Senior Jillian Anderson crossed home plate twice with additional runs scored by freshmen Baileigh Burtis and Kelsie Riggan.
• Senior Laurelai DePew got the start, totaling 5.1 innings of work and giving up six hits and no earned runs while striking out two. Dezaria Johnson was the pitcher of record dropping to 1-1 on the year.

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers developed a 4-0 edge after one inning of play. The Scarlet Knight bats opened with Jillian Anderson walking and coming home on a Riley Hwang double to left, the first of four hits in the inning. Baileigh Burtis singled to short, setting up LA Matthews for a two-run double to center. Stephanie Kraska later pushed across two more runs with a single down the left-field line.
• A pair of fielder's choices in the third allowed Seton Hall to score its first run of the afternoon, but the Scarlet Knights got two in the bottom half. Addie Osborne's single to center sent home two runs, giving RU a 6-1 advantage.
• The Pirates added a run in both the fourth and fifth. A passed ball and wild pitch put A Perez into scoring position at third to score on the single up the middle from Katey Brennan in the fourth. The fifth saw an infield error continue the inning giving Kelsey Carr the opening to score on a fielder's choice to follow.
• Matthews used a solo shot to center, her fifth home run of the season, to give Rutgers a 7-3 edge at the end of five played.
• Seton Hall used six hits and took advantage of two errors to score eight runs in the top of the sixth. Included in the Pirate burst was a grand slam from Erin Howard to left putting her squad up 11-7.
• Bailey Briggs cut into the deficit with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning.
• The Pirates added four runs as Taylor Hill homered with the bases loaded for SHU's second grand slam of the afternoon for the game's final scoring.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers softball team continues its homestand this weekend hosting Northwestern on Friday, April 18 at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 19 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 20 at 1 p.m. Admission to all Rutgers softball home games is free.

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