Galloway, NJ – Stockton University (12-8) began a busy stretch of five scheduled doubleheaders in six days by splitting a pair with Arcadia (7-9). The Ospreys were blanked 3-0 in the first game before breaking out with a 9-1 run-rule win in the second contest.
Meg Murzello (Maple Shade/Holy Cross) went 4-5 with her first career home run plus three runs and three stolen bases on the day.
Five Ospreys had one single apiece in the opener. Murzello went 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base while
Casey Schieda (Monroe Twp./Monroe Twp.) was 1-2 with a stolen base in the game.
Arcadia capitalized on a Stockton error to plate two unearned runs in the second inning and the Knights' Julia Gessner hit a solo homer in the sixth to account for all of the scoring in the 3-0 contest. Although not involved in the decision,
Victoria Torp (West Milford/West Milford) pitched well out of the bullpen, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts in five innings of work.
The Stockton bats sprang to life for 14 hits in the nightcap. Murzello was 3-3 with a home run, three runs and two RBI.
Alexandra Cosenzo (East Hanover/Hanover Park) also rapped three hits and drove in three runs.
Cosenzo delivered an RBI single in the first inning to give the Ospreys an early 1-0 lead. Murzello led off the third with a single, stole second and scored on another RBI single by Cosenzo to make it 2-0. Two batters later,
Megan Katzmar (Cinnaminson/Holy Cross) stroked a pinch-hit RBI single that plated Cosenzo to up the cushion to 3-0.
Schieda led off the fourth inning with her second home run of the season, and the Stockton lead was 4-0. Two batters later, Murzello hit a shot to left field that took a bad hop over the outfielder's shoulder and rolled all the way to the wall for an inside-the-park homer that was her first career home run. Cosenzo added her third RBI single of the game during the inning to increase the lead to 6-0.
Murzello knocked in Schieda with an RBI single in the fifth frame for a 7-0 advantage before Arcadia got on the board once in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth,
Ashley Lobell (Cedar Knolls/Whippany Park) smacked a two-run double that ended the game at 9-1 due to the eight-run rule.
Starting pitcher
Hannah Bibeault (Hopatcong/Hopatcong) earned her seventh win of the season (7-1) with five shutout innings in which she allowed just three hits and fanned five batters. Bibeault retired the first 10 hitters that she faced and 12 of 13 through the first four innings.
Stockton will be back on its home field tomorrow for an NJAC doubleheader against #18 Rowan University beginning at 3 pm.
