Rutgers University
19-21
Lehigh
20-18
Softball Belts Six Home Runs In 20-5 Victory At Lehgh
Apr 07 | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Rutgers softball belted six home runs, the most in game records dating back to 2003, and poured in 10 runs in the top of the sixth for a 20-5 victory over Lehigh on Tuesday afternoon at Leadership Park.
Freshman Etta Garofalo and Dezaria Johnson both captured their first collegiate home runs and Kelsey Hoekstra collected RU's fourth grand slam of the season. Sam Rohwer, Stephanie Kraska and Addie Osborne went yard as well, helping the Scarlet Knights to the most runs scored since 2015 and the most hits since 2017.
The win improved RU to 19-21 on the season as they head back into Big Ten play this weekend, hosting Michigan State at the RU Softball Complex.
Rutgers 20, Lehigh 5
| STATISTICALLY SPEAKING |
- Four Scarlet Knights had multiple hits and six recorded multiple RBIs.
- Freshman Rachel Millan was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, redshirt sophomore Stephanie Kraska was 2-for-2 with her first home run of the year with a two-run blast in the first and Kelsey Hoesktra pinch hit in the sixth, going 2-for-2 with a grand slam.
- Sophomore Riley Hwang was 2-for-4 with a team-leading three runs scored and an RBI.
- Freshman Etta Garofalo smacked a three-run home run in her first collegiate long ball.
- Junior Brooke Shifflett got the start, going 2.2 innings with three runs on two hits and four strikeouts. Sophomore Kassandra Gewecke got the win and tossed 2.1 innings with two runs on four hits and three batters fanned.
- It was RU's seventh run-rule victory of the year.
| THE RUNDOWN |
- The Scarlet Knights opened the game with a trio of home runs to left for a four-run edge. Three pitches and RU took the lead from the day's first dinger from Sam Rohwer. Four batters later Stephanie Kraska went deep and Addie Osborne went over the wall on the following at-bat.
- RU added two more in the third. Stephanie Kraska singled and Osborne came aboard after getting hit by a pitch. Rachel Millan went straight up the middle to score pinch runner Jayla Fuller. With Scarlet Knights on the corners, the double steal was attempted. While Millan was caught in a rundown, Osborne plated and put RU up 6-0.
- Lehigh scored four runs on three hits in the bottom of the third. Holley Lovett put the Mountain Hawks on the board with a two-run home run to center. Lehigh put runners into scoring position off a Megan Lodge walk and an Abbey Tabaka hit that went off the third base bag to advance the runners. Lola Fasano went up the middle for a pair of RBIs for the hosts to trail 6-4.
- Mia Mitchell pushed across two runs in the fifth to extend the RU advantage to 8-4. Baileigh Burtis and Riley Hwang both singled and scored on Mitchell's triple to right center.
- The Mountain Hawks scored a run in the bottom half to trail 8-5. While it appeared that Megan Lodge had swung to end the inning, it was ruled a check swing on the appeal with a run able to score with the ball at first.
- Rutgers then exploded for 10 runs on seven hits, including two home runs, one of which was a grand slam from Kelsey Hoekstra. Three walks and a base hit had all aboard for the Scarlet Knights setting up Kelsey Hoekstra for the grand slam. The scoring barrage continued with a Dezaria Johnson two-run home run, Riley Hwang adding an RBI double and Etta Garofalo swinging for a three-run blast.
In "R" Home Run Happy Place#GoRU ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/vTZ43wMOse
— Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) April 8, 2026
| KNIGHT NOTES |
- Rutgers' six home runs are the most in game records dating back to 2003. The previous high was five against Army on Feb. 10, 2019 in a 12-4 win at the Mercer Invitational.
- RU's 20 runs scored were the most since a 22-17 win over Michigan State at the RU Softball Complex on April 14, 2015.
- The Scarlet Knights' 17 hits were the most by the program since collecting 17 at Seton Hall on April 5, 2017, in a 13-7 win.
- Kelsey Hoekstra's grand slam was RU's fourth of the season, joining Mia Mitchell vs. FGCU and Riley Hwang at Saint Peter's and at Seton Hall.
- RU's 10 runs in the sixth were the most runs in an inning by the Scarlet Knights since scoring 10 runs in the first inning at home against Monmouth in an 11-3 win back on March 29, 2022.
- The Scarlet Knights now have 47 home runs on the year and currently need one more to move into the top three in season records. The RU record is 54 set in 2019.
- Sam Rohwer has now collected lead-off home runs over Maryland (1 pitch), Indiana (3 pitches) Seton Hall (5 pitches and Lehigh (3 pitches)
| UP NEXT |
Follow Rutgers softball on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gewecke, Kassandra (6-10)
L: Moorman, Addison (9-6)
Batting:
2B: Hwang, Riley 1
3B: Mitchell, Mia 1
HR: Rohwer, Sam 1 ; Garofalo, Etta 1 ; Hoekstra, Kelsey 1 ; Kraska, Stephanie 1 ; Osborne, Addie 1 ; Johnson, Dezaria 1
RBI: Rohwer, Sam 1 ; Hwang, Riley 1 ; Garofalo, Etta 3 ; Mitchell, Mia 2 ; Hoekstra, Kelsey 4 ; Kraska, Stephanie 2 ; Osborne, Addie 1 ; Millan, Rachel 2 ; Johnson, Dezaria 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Rohwer, Sam 2 ; Stripling, Hailey 1 ; Hwang, Riley 3 ; Burtis, Baileigh 2 ; Garofalo, Etta 2 ; Hoekstra, Kelsey 1 ; Kraska, Stephanie 1 ; Fuller, Jayla 2 ; Osborne, Addie 2 ; Coleman, Makenna 1 ; Millan, Rachel 1 ; Johnson, Dezaria 1 ; Garofalo, Eva 1
SB: Burtis, Baileigh 1 ; Fuller, Jayla 1
CS: Millan, Rachel 1
HBP: Osborne, Addie 1
Batting:
HR: Lovett, Holly 1
RBI: Lovett, Holly 2 ; Fasano, Lola 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Parlett, Sydney 1 ; Duenas, Crysta 1 ; Lovett, Holly 1 ; Lodge, Megan 1 ; Tabaka, Abbey 1
SB: Duenas, Crysta 1
HBP: Fricker, Kelly 1
