It would appear that the constant string of tournaments and the burden it has placed on the arms of the Scarlet Knights has finally caught up with them. Finishing up the Bulldog Tournament in Fresno, California on Monday, March 11, the Knights dropped two of the four games over the weekend, and have now lost three of their last six.
But, don't look now, because there are another six road games looming in the next eight days.
GAME ONE....
In typical Rutgers form, the Scarlet Knights struck early in their game against the Cal State University Northridge (CSUN) Matadors, when RBI hits from L.A. Matthews and Morgan Smith gave RU a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
But Cal State quickly bounced back, reaching Rutgers hurler Mattie Boyd for two runs in the bottom of the inning when freshman Jerzie Liana doubled, tying the game at 2-2.
The Knights again reached CSUN starting pitcher Isabella Alonso in the top of the third inning when Smith and Matthews scored on a throwing error, giving RU the lead, 4-2.
The Knights had the opportunity to extend their lead in the fifth when they had two on with no outs, but failed to bring home a run. The failure to give Boyd that run support was costly, as the Matadors set about tying the game in the bottom of the inning when senior Shaylan Whatman homered, making the score 4-4.
The Knights squandered another scoring chance in the top of the sixth when, with runners at the corners and one out, catcher Katie Wingert lined out and third baseman Payton Lincavage struck out looking.
After RU went quietly in the top of the seventh, Smith replaced Boyd in the circle to face the Matadors in the home half of the inning. With runners on first and third with two outs, Smith got first baseman Alexis Chavez to chase a pitch on a 1-2 count, striking out the junior to end the threat.
Fortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they have a sparkplug at the top of their batting order named Kyleigh Sand, whose RBI double in the top of the eighth re-ignited the RU engine. With the lead, 5-4, Sand then scampered home on a fly ball by Smith, and suddenly the Knights were up by two. A single by Wingert extended the lead to three, and from there, Smith returned to the circle and closed the door on the Matadors to preserve the win, 7-4.
The Knight Report’s three stars of the game:
First star of the game: Kyleigh Sand. 4-for-4, double, walk, stolen base, one RBI, two runs scored.
Second star of the game: L.A. Matthews. 3-for-3, double, walk, one RBI, three runs scored.
Third star of the game: Morgan Smith. 2-for-3, walk, two RBIs, one run scored, two innings pitched for a relief win.
GAME TWO....
A three-run bottom of the second got the scoring started in the game, as the Nevada Wolf Pack jumped out to the early lead, 3-0.
But the Knights responded quickly in the top of the following inning when Sand tripled home Maddie Lawson, subsequently scoring on a Matthews sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 3-2. In the sixth, Smith scored on an error, tying the game 3-3, which is where it stayed through seven, and once again the Scarlet Knights were going into extra innings.
After a scoreless top of the eighth, the Wolf Pack threatened in the bottom of the frame but were thwarted when freshman Bailie Clark was thrown out at home on an infield grounder off the bat of Haley Painter.
The Knights took the lead 4-3 thanks to a Kayla Bock ground out, scoring Lincavage and setting up Boyd to get the win in relief of Smith.
But it was not to be.
First baseman Aaliyah Jenkins launched a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run, game-winning home run to down the Scarlet Knights 6-4 in nine innings.
The Knight Report’s three stars of the game:
First star of the game: Kyleigh Sand. 2-for-4, triple, one RBI, one run scored.
Second star of the game: Katie Wingert. 1-for-3, walk, six putouts.
Third star of the game: Maddie Lawson. 0-for-3, sacrifice, one run scored, outstanding run-saving defensive play in the bottom of the eighth inning.
GAME THREE....
The first of two games on Monday was a rematch against the Wolf Pack in the early game on the tournament’s final day.
Smith took to the circle for the Scarlet Knights to start the game, and the Wolf Pack quickly reached her for a run in the top of the first. But, after Lincavage and Leilani Chavez scored in the bottom of the second, the Knights jumped ahead, 2-1.
The lead would seesaw again as Nevada struck for three runs, and jumped ahead, 4-2. But, in the sixth the Wolf Pack rallied for two more, chasing Smith from the circle as they extended their lead to 6-2.
The Knights managed to scratch out a run in the bottom of the fifth when Jillian Anderson raced home off an RBI single by Smith, cutting the deficit to 6-3.
However, the Wolf Pack were relentless, and they tallied one more in the top of the seventh inning off relief pitcher Georgia Ingle to make the final score 7-3. Smith absorbed the loss for the Knights, while Tyra Clary recorded her fifth victory of the season for the Wolf Pack.
The Knight Report’s three stars of the game:
First star of the game: Jillian Anderson. 2-for-3, one run scored.
Second star of the game: Leilani Chavez. 1-for-3, one run scored.
Third star of the game: L.A. Matthews. 1-for-4, double, five putouts.
GAME FOUR....
In their final game of the tournament, the Scarlet Knights faced off against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the late game on Monday night.
What was a close game through four innings eventually became a laugher, as the Knights scored two in the fifth, one in the sixth and had a monster six-run inning in the seventh, crushing the Bulldogs, 10-1.
The Knights used their four extra-base hits and six walks to give Boyd all the run support she needed and then some, as the graduate student hurler pitched a complete game victory, with Rutgers improving to 15-9 on the season.
The Knight Report’s three stars of the game:
First star of the game: Morgan Smith. 3-for-5, double, three RBIs, one run scored.
Second star of the game: Mattie Boyd. Complete game victory, five strikeouts, one earned run.
Third star of the game: Jillian Anderson. 1-for-3, double, walk, two runs scored.
With the tournaments now behind them, the Scarlet Knights can begin the last leg of their exhaustive road tour, finishing up on the west coast against UCLA on Tuesday, March 12, Cal Baptist on Wednesday, March 13 and a weekend series against San Diego. From there, one last stop on their way to Piscataway will be a March 19 contest against Virginia, before they return to play their home opener against Ohio State on March 22.
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