HOME SWEET HOME! Softball Sweeps FDU To Open Up Home Schedule

Mar 18 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score - Game 1 Box Score - Game 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball opened the newly renovated Rutgers Softball Complex on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of FDU.

RU shutout the Knights in game one, 8-0, in six innings as Addie Osborne delivered a two-run triple in a four-run fourth inning and Makenna Coleman belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth in route to the victory

In game two, the Scarlet Knights plated 10 runs in their first at-bat, including a grand slam from the bat of Mia Mitchell, on their way to a 17-3 win in five innings. It marked RU's largest margin of victory since 2023.

The two victories upped Rutgers' mark to 16-12 overall heading into its first Big Ten home series with weekend with No. 7 UCLA.

Game 1: Rutgers 8, FDU 0 (6)

Rutgers softball victory graphic over FDU - game 1 - featuring Mia Mitchell

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Sophomore Baileigh Burtis was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs.
Junior Makenna Coleman posted her second home run of the season and also scored a pair of runs.
Sophomore Addie Osborne added a two-run triple.
In the circle, sophomore right-hander Kelsey Hoekstra improved to 4-3 overall, allowing just one hit and one walk while fanning six. Junior Brooke Shifflett pitched two innings of relief and recorded a trio of strikeouts. She allowed no hits and one walk.

THE RUNDOWN

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Rutgers pushed across four runs on a trio of hits. With two outs and after a Baileigh Burtis single up the middle and Makenna Coleman walk, the two Scarlet Knights put RU onto the scoreboard on Addie Osborne's triple to center. An error continued the inning with Osborne scoring off the miscue and Jayla Fuller reaching second base. Sam Rohwer followed with an RBI single to left field and Fuller scoring for the 4-0 Rutgers lead.
RU added another three in the fifth to go up 7-0. Mia Mitchell and Burtis singles had two aboard for Makenna Coleman, who gave the updated complex its first home run of the season, with the ball going over the wall in left.

Makenna Coleman with a 3 run homerun to make it 7-0 RU!!!! pic.twitter.com/V42MvmTe9w
— Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) March 18, 2026

In the sixth, Mitchell got the walk-off as her double scored Hailey Stripling to invoke the run-rule.

Game 2: Rutgers 17, FDU 3 (5)

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

It was RU's largest margin of victory since defeating Mississippi Valley State back in 2023 by a score of 16-1.
Rutgers generated 10 hits from seven different Scarlet Knights and had the bases loaded for FDU to walk in three runs.
Senior Mia Mitchell collected her second grand slam of the season and sophomore Addie Osborne moved into a tie for the team lead in home runs with her seventh of the year.
Osborne finished the game 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
Junior Makenna Coleman went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Joining Osborne and Coleman with two runs each were sophomore Riley Hwang and freshman Etta Garofalo.
Freshman Marley Caldwell went to 2-0 on the year, going 3.0 innings in the start and holding the Knights to two hits while striking out four.

THE RUNDOWN

The Scarlet Knights saw 10 runs on five hits in their first turn at bat in game two. Seven batters into the contest, the bases were loaded for scoring to start with the RBI walk from Etta Garofalo and followed with a bases-clearing double from Makenna Coleman for a 4-0 edge. Addie Osborne added an RBI single and the bases were loaded once again, but this time for Riley Hwang to record the RBI walk to go ahead 6-0. With all aboard, Mia Mitchell belted her second grand slam of the year to give RU the 10-0 lead after one inning of play.

T1| Mia Mitchell Grand Slam💥 to cap off a 10-run first inning 10-0 RU!!!! pic.twitter.com/oQENbIl4Ca
— Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) March 18, 2026

The Scarlet Knights added two more in both the second and third. Osborne deposited the ball over the left field wall in the second, while the third had Stephanie Kraska earn an RBI off a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded RBI walk for Rachel Millan for a 14-0 lead.
Scoring was not over for Rutgers as another three runs came in the fourth. Bailey Briggs connected for an RBI single and Osborne added a two-run double.
RU was up 17-0 when FDU thwarted the shutout in the top of the fifth. Loading the bases, Riley Cunningham put the Knights on the board with an RBI single while Hannah Alonso and Brianna Hudd each walked in a run for the final margin.

HIGHLIGHTS

UP NEXT

RU will host No. 7 UCLA in the first Big Ten home series. The Scarlet Knights will hold a pregame ceremony prior to first pitch with the Bruins on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 6 p.m., while the games on Sunday, Mar. 22, at 5 p.m. and Monday, Mar. 23, at 6 p.m. will be televised on BTN.

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