CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Colgate softball team used a pair of RBI base hits from first-year
Jordan Miller and sophomore
Pami White to break open a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh against Rutgers before first-year pitcher
Jessica Hay preserved the lead to secure a 5-4 victory over the Scarlet Knights Wednesday afternoon.
The win marks Colgate's first victory over a current member of the Big Ten since 1996. It's the program's third-ever win over a current B1G member.
The Raiders got on the board right away as senior
Katie Bushee and first-year
Virginia Irby reached base in the game's first two at bats. Irby intentionally got caught in a run down between first and second as Bushee sprinted home and the Rutgers shortstop threw the ball away to allow the Raiders to take a 1-0 lead.
Colgate added two more runs in the third inning after Irby, La Terra and Geranen loaded the bases. Miller sent a sacrifice fly to right before senior
Tara Grennan knocked an RBI double to left to work Colgate's lead to 3-0.
Senior starter
Gillian Murray kept Rutgers off the board until the fourth inning, when the Scarlet Knights used three hits to plate their first run of the game. Murray got Rutgers to leave the bases loaded for the second time to limit the damage and keep Colgate ahead 3-1 through four.
A two-run double from Meaghan Wells helped the Scarlet Knights tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Hay came on in relief with two outs in the fifth and kept the game at 3-3 heading into the seventh.
La Terra led off the top of the seventh with a single through the left side before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Geranen. Miller then stepped up to rope a single up the middle as pinch runner
Blake Brackett ran home to plate the go-ahead run. White followed with an RBI single to add an insurance tally and give the Raiders a 5-3 lead.
The Scarlet Knights loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. An RBI base hit allowed Rutgers to send one across the plate, but sophomore
Meghan Romero threw the game-tying run out at home to end the contest and secure the 5-4 Raider win.
BOTTOM LINE
WON-LOST RECORDS
- The Raiders earn their second-straight win and improve to 4-10 on the season.
- Rutgers drops to 4-17 overall.
KEY RAIDER INFO
- Colgate's other two wins over Big Ten members came over Rutgers (4-0, 1996) and Michigan State (5-1, 1991).
- Hay earned her second victory in as many days. She finished with a line of one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts in the final 2.1 innings.
- Miller recorded a team-best two RBI, including the go-ahead knock in the top of the seventh.
- Bushee, La Terra, Geranen and White all went recorded two hits in the game.
FACTS & FIGURES
- Both teams recorded 10 hits.
- Murray finished with a line of three runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts in 4.2 frames.
- Rutgers reliever Shayla Sweeney was saddled with the loss.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Melissa Finley
- "I was really proud of our fight in this game to come through with the win. We did a great job offensively all the way through the order and Jordan and Pami came up big in the seventh to pull us ahead. This team is finding a way right now."
- "We can always looks to improve and clean a few things up defensively, but at the end of the day they got the job done. All around it was a great team win."
UP NEXT
- Colgate returns to action Thursday with a single game against Monmouth.
- First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
