If there’s one word that sums up this season’s Scarlet Knights softball team, it’s resiliency. Coming out of the Puerto Vallarta Challenge, the Scarlet Knights softball team has put together a four-game winning streak and a string of five out of six that points to a much more promising 2022.
After starting the season 1-2, Rutgers came out with a dominant performance in their second game against Lamar University, knocking 10 base hits, while pitcher Jaden Vickers threw six shutout innings and did not allow even a single run. The Knights’ bats connected often to take their early game on Feb. 12 against the Cardinals 6-2, but dropped their late afternoon game to a strong Washington Huskies squad. Payton Lincavage and Gabrielle Callaway collected the only two hits for Rutgers against the No. 7 ranked Huskies, as Rutgers fell 9-0. For their excellent play in the five games, Callaway and Vickers were named to the Puerto Vallarta Challenge All-Tournament Team.
But the setback against Washington appeared to temper the blade of the Knights, as they entered this week’s Pirate Clash in Greenville, N.C.
Beginning with a Friday afternoon game against the Wagner Seahawks, the Scarlet Knights’ bats came alive erupting for 13 runs on 14 hits, including a three-run homer by clean-up hitter Maddie Lawson. RU also saw RBI production from Kirsten Withstandley (2) and leadoff hitter Kyleigh Sand (3). Ashley Hitchcock pitched five innings surrendering three runs and collected her first win of the season as the Knights trounced Wagner 13-3.
The Knights had more of a struggle in the late game on Friday, but Vickers, who is slowly emerging as the ace of the Rutgers staff, put up six solid innings with six strikeouts for her third win of the season. Hitchcock pitched one inning in relief to collect her first save of the young season. The Knights got RBIs from Lawson (2), Withstandley and Callaway, who registered her first home run this year, as Rutgers downed East Carolina 4-3.
The Scarlet Knights were right back at it for another double-dip on Saturday, Feb. 19, first facing off against Wagner for the second time in two days. But, just as in Friday’s contest, it was all Rutgers, as the Knights pounded out five runs on eight hits, with extra base hits from Sand, Lincavage and sophomore DH Kayla Bock. Vickers pitched six impressive innings again and took the win to improve to 4-0 on the season, as the Knights downed the Seahawks, 5-0.
The late game on Saturday brought Colgate as the opponent, who sent junior Bailey Misken to the mound against Hitchcock. After the Raiders took an early lead, 1-0 when Hitchcock walked in a run, the Knights strapped on their running cleats in the bottom of the inning. With a first and third situation, the Knights tried a double steal, sending Callaway scampering to second while Lincavage broke for home. After both runners were safe, Rutgers had one out with a runner on second when Lawson once again showed why she is batting in the No. 4 slot, as she singled up the middle, scoring Callaway.
After Colgate got an RBI double in the third inning to tie the game 2-2, junior Bailey Burns later scored on a wild pitch to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead.
Still leading by a run in the top of the seventh inning, Colgate got a one-out double off Hitchcock to mount a late threat. With two on and two out, Hitchcock was able to bear down and got sophomore Kara Fusco to ground out to end the threat.
The Knights went into the bottom of the final frame needing a run and got the rally started when right fielder Leilani Chavez singled up the middle. This was followed by Bock walking to put two on with no outs when center fielder Kobie Hura laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with one out. But when Sand lifted a sacrifice fly to center, the game was tied 3-3 and headed into extra innings.
Colgate reached Hitchcock for a run in the top of the eighth to once again take the lead 4-3. Hitchcock, who had been masterful all game was now potentially staring at her fourth loss of the season, despite having struck out 12 and surrendering only two earned runs on six hits over a full eight innings of work.
However, her teammates refused to let Hitchcock’s superb effort go to waste. In the bottom of the eighth after Lincavage doubled home the tying run, Callaway singled to center scoring Lincavage from second to give the Knights a hard-earned 5-4 walk-off victory.
The Scarlet Knights are now 6-3 this season and are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 20 for a rematch with Colgate at 10 a.m. as the Pirate Challenge comes to a close. From there, they will travel to Leesburg, Fla. for the Spring Games, a five-game set that will begin against the Princeton Tigers on Feb. 25.
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