Mahoney's Strong Effort In The Circle Not Enough for Softball at Rutgers-Newark

NEWARK, N.J. — Junior Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) held Rutgers-Newark to just one run over 11 innings over a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team couldn't get the bats going to rally from early deficits, dropping both ends 1-0 and 5-1.  

The Basics

• Final Scores: Rutgers-Newark 1, St. Joseph's 0; Rutgers-Newark 5, St. Joseph's 1
• Records: Rutgers-Newark (14-3), St. Joseph's (6-10)
• Location: Newark, N.J. — Alumni Field

Game 1: Rutgers-Newark 1, St. Joseph's 0

• The Scarlet Raiders scored the game's lone tally in the first on a Morgan Walizer two-out single, but Mahoney escaped further damage, leaving the bases loaded.
• A pitchers' duel ensued between Victoria Mahoney and Rutgers-Newark starter Paige Masiello, but Masiello silenced the Bears bats and finished with a no-hitter, her only blemish a walk to Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) in the first. Mahoney kept the Bears in the contest tossing five scoreless frames, allowing just three more hits.  

Game 2: Rutgers-Newark 5, St. Joseph's 1

• As in the opener, the hosts got all their runs in the first inning, pushing across five runs aided by two Bear errors that allowed three to score unearned.
• Stephanie Rancel (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) led off the fourth with a single for the Bears first hit of the afternoon. Amber Wainwright followed with a walk and an error by the hosts on the sacrifice attempt loaded the bases with no out, but came away empty-handed.
• Another leadoff single to open the fifth, by Gabriella Fielding (Melville, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills), set the table for the Bears only run of the day as she was sacrificed over by Megan Finnerty (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and later scored on a Rancel single.
• Taking the circle in relief in the second, Mahoney scattered four hits over five more scoreless innings to maintain the deficit, but the Bears bats were held to just three hits in defeat.

For the Bears

• Victoria Mahoney worked 10 scoreless innings after surrendering her lone run in the first inning of the opener.
• Amber Wainwright saw her hitting streak snapped at 11 games in game one, but drawing walks in both ends, she extended her reached base safely streak to 13 games.
• Stephanie Rancel finished 2-for-2 in game two.
• Gabriella Fielding scored the lone run and knocked a hit in the nightcap.

Next Up for the Bears

• The Bears have a 10-day layoff before returning to the diamond to host Mount Saint Mary College in a Skyline doubleheader on Saturday, April 7. First pitch at Gil Hodges Field is set for 12 p.m. with live stats available on SJCBears.com.