Rutgers softball could not have had a more perfect start for 2023, going 5-0 in the NorCal Kickoff Tournament to begin the season.

Timely hitting, improved pitching and solid defense were all on display over the weekend, as coach Kristen Butler’s squad took care of all aspects of the game, beginning with their season opening contest against Utah Valley.

Rutgers opened the scoring fast, recording their initial tally in the top of the first inning when Katie Wingert singled, driving home Kyleigh Sand to give RU the quick 1-0 lead.

A double by freshman Ryann Orange in the fourth inning scored two more, followed by an RBI triple by Payton Lincavage and an RBI hit by Morgan Smith in the top of the fifth. Up 5-0, the Scarlet Knights shut down the Wolverines in the bottom of the inning and again in the sixth.

By the time the Knights had collected three more extra-base hits in the top of the seventh, they had staked themselves to an 8-0 lead. The only thing left to see was whether or not relief pitcher Ashley Hitchcock could preserve the shutout in the bottom of the inning to give Smith her first victory in her Rutgers debut, which is exactly what she did. Brooke Saili took the loss for Utah Valley, on a day that saw the Scarlet Knights’ offense explode for eight runs on 13 hits, eight of which went for extra bases.

But there was little time to savor the victory, as the Knights were right back at it for an afternoon clash with the Santa Clara University Broncos.

This time as the home team, the Knights once again started fast when Sand set the table in the bottom of the first when she bunted for a base hit before subsequently stealing second. Sand tagged up to get to third base when Lincavage hit a sacrifice fly, and scored on an RBI single by Smith to take a 1-0 lead.

The Broncos took the lead briefly in the top of the second when they rallied for two runs to go ahead, 2-1, but the Knights came storming back in the bottom of the inning to re-take the lead, 3-2.

Knights’ pitching held the Broncos scoreless the rest of the way, as Rutgers broke the game open with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, helping Jaden Vickers post her first win of the season with an impressive 8-2 victory.

Off to a fast 2-0 start on the season, the Scarlet Knights kept the fun going on Saturday, with another offensive explosion against Seattle University. This time, Hitchcock took the victory as Rutgers opened up a 4-1 lead against the Redhawks after just two innings.

Once again it was Sand leading the way with three hits, while Lincavage knocked in five RBIs on three hits, including a three-run homer.

Tied 4-4 in the fifth, Rutgers racked up four runs on five hits in the home half of the inning to distance themselves from the Redhawks, 8-4. Seattle managed to push across one more run in the top of the seventh when left fielder Tai Wilson singled home Katie Walling, but it was too little, too late. The Scarlet Knights advanced to 3-0 on the season with an 8-5 victory over the Redhawks.

Saturday afternoon saw the Knights back in action against UC Davis, before a crowd of 300 fans at LaRue Field.

After a scoreless first inning, the Knights again got their offense started when Wingert walked, and was lifted for pinch runner Courtney Wilde. A sacrifice bunt by Orange moved her to second, but when freshman Calista Collins struck out, RU was in danger of leaving a runner in scoring position.

But, Taylor Fawcett would not allow that to happen, slapping an RBI single before stealing second to keep the rally chugging along. Maddie Lawson then doubled to left, followed by a Leilani Chavez triple to right field. A single by Sand brought home Chavez, and a Lincavage double brought home the junior shortstop, who had stolen second earlier.

The two-out, five run rally would be all that the Knights would need, as Vickers posted seven strong innings surrendering just one run on six hits. Vickers also collected eight strikeouts on her way to her second victory of the young season as RU took the game, 5-1.

Super Sunday found the 4-0 Scarlet Knights involved in a tight defensive struggle when starter Raimy Gamsby battled Marissa Bertuccio, as Rutgers took on Sacramento State in their final game of the tournament.

After five scoreless innings, the stalemate was finally broken in the top of the sixth. Again it was Sand opening the inning with a single, who quickly advanced to second when Hornets shortstop Nikki Barboza mishandled the throw back into the infield.

A sacrifice bunt by Lincavage moved Sand to third, and she later scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right by Wingert to give the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 lead.

Gamsby continued to pitch well in the bottom of the inning, but was lifted with one out and a runner on first in the sixth. Vickers came into the game in relief, which marked her third appearance of the season.

After a sacrifice bunt moved Gwen Ludwig to second, Vickers was able to get Carley Morfey on a deep fly out to left to keep the Hornets off the board and preserve the 1-0 lead.

The Knights again got things cooking in the seventh, posting runners at the corners with no one out as Smith came to the plate. Smith then laid down a suicide squeeze to bring home senior Kiersten Withstandley. However, nifty defense by the Hornets snuffed out the Knights rally, and Rutgers went into the bottom of the seventh clutching a 2-0 lead.

Vickers then put down Sacramento State in order to pick up her first save of the season, which gave Gamsby the victory. By virtue of beating the Hornets, 2-0, the undefeated Scarlet Knights won the NorCal Kickoff Tournament and have gotten their best start in 30 years, since the days when Rutgers was part of the Atlantic Ten Conference.

The Knights outscored opponents 31-8 during the tournament and are next in action at the Mardi Gras Classic on February 17. They will play two games, opening against Missouri State in their early contest and Mississippi Valley State in the nightcap.