COMMERCE, Texas – Rutgers softball split the second day of the Lions Invitational on Saturday, opening with a 2-1 win over Abilene Christian and falling 4-1 in the second meeting with SIUE.

The Scarlet Knights moved to 3-1 at the invite and 4-5 overall.
 

Rutgers 2, Abilene Christian 1

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Freshman right-hander Ella Harrison made it back-to-back complete game victories to up her mark to 2-3 on the year. She fanned five, including holding Abilene Christian in scoring position with back-to-back strikeouts swinging in coming back from a rain delay.
• Senior Jillian Anderson went 2-for-2 with a run scored.
• Graduate student LA Matthews hit 2-for-3 with an RBI.
• Freshman Riley Hwang plated RU's game-winning run in the fourth inning.

THE RUNDOWN

• Rutgers posted its first run thanks in part to first base. LA Matthews' chopper went off the bag allowing Jillian Anderson to reach home from second base.
• Abilene Christian knotted the game up at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Elizabeth Schafer led off the inning with a base hit up the middle and worked her way over to third on a pair of ground outs. A bobble at short off the bat of Emalee Romero brought home the tying run.
• The Scarlet Knights went back in front in the bottom of the inning. Matthews led off with a double to left and reached third on the overthrow in from the outfield. Riley Hwang took her place at third and was caught in a rundown on Bailey Briggs' attempted bunt. The Wildcats, however, were called for interference and RU took the 2-1 lead.
• In the top of the fifth, a slick ball put the Wildcats into scoring position on a couple of wild pitches. The game proceeded to experience a one-hour, three-minute lightning delay. Coming back, Ella Harrison struck out the next two ACU batters to retire the side.  

SIUE 4, Rutgers 1

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Senior Jillian Anderson put Rutgers onto the scoreboard in the seventh with an RBI single.
• Freshman Baileigh Burtis went 2-for-3.
• Freshman Kelsey Hoekstra dropped to 2-2 on the year and tossed four innings allowing two runs on four hits with a strikeout. Senior Laurelai DePew finished the final two innings in the circle giving up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
   

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars used a pair of solo shots in the bottom of the second to go ahead. Kailyn Fahy went over the wall in right to lead for SIUE, while with two outs, Juztyne Torres went to the opposite side of the field on a full count for a 2-0 advantage.
• Another SIUE home run pushed the Cougars ahead 4-0 in the fifth. Lauren Yslava took her second pitch deep into right for a two-run long ball.
• Rutgers avoided the shutout and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Georgia Ingle arrived on first on a single thru the left side with Leah Sims taking over base running duties. Sims advanced to second on a wild pitch and Baileigh Burtis singled up the middle, pushing Sims to third with two outs. With Scarlet Knights at the corners, Jillian Anderson hit the ball thru the left side as the Cougar shortstop made a dive to stop the ball from reaching the outfield. Anderson was able to beat out the throw for the base hit and Sims scored to put RU onto the board with the tying run stepping to the plate. SIUE, however, caught the line drive at short to end the contest on the ensuing at-bat.

UP NEXT

Rutgers softball closes out the Lion Invitational on Sunday against host East Texas A&M at 1:15 p.m. (ET). The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available at statbroadcast.com.

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