Jersey City, NY----Closing out their non-conference slate on the road on Saturday, Brooklyn College Softball played to a split at New Jersey City. After being edged out, 4-3, in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Bulldogs completed an 8-5 comeback victory in Game 2 for their first win over the Gothic Knights since 2015. Brooklyn moves to 13-23 with the split while the Gothic Knights go to 7-31. Next Up: BC ends the regular season on Monday, May 4, with a conference doubleheader at home against York College on Senior Day with the first pitch being thrown at 4pm.
Game- 2 | Brooklyn- 8, NJCU- 5
Brooklyn overcame an early deficit and capitalized on defensive miscues by NJCU, scoring all eight of its runs as unearned. The Bulldogs tallied nine hits in the victory, highlighted by a strong all-around effort at the plate and a complete-game performance in the circle.
After falling behind 1–0 in the first inning on a solo home run, Brooklyn answered in the second when Julia Corcoran doubled and later scored on an error to tie the game. The Bulldogs added another unearned run in the third, taking a 2–1 lead on an RBI single from Katelyn Young.
NJCU responded with a four-run third inning to jump ahead 5–2, but Brooklyn chipped away. A sacrifice fly by Haylee Burleigh in the fourth made it 5–3 and set the stage for the decisive sixth inning.
In the sixth, Brooklyn sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on four hits, aided by multiple errors. Olivia Gonzalez led off with a single, and the Bulldogs loaded the bases before Addy Cook drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Additional NJCU errors allowed two more runs to score, and RBI plays from Julia Corcoran and Victoria Elderbaum capped the rally for an 8–5 advantage.
Burleigh led Brooklyn offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. J. Corcoran added two doubles and two RBIs, while Jazlyn Roberts, Elderbaum, and Sage Bernstein each contributed hits in the win.
In the circle, Jessica Bowe (7–7) earned the victory, tossing a complete game. She allowed 11 hits and five runs (only one earned) while working around traffic throughout the game.
NJCU was led by Danika Borza, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, and Emma Grochowski, who recorded a double and an RBI. Despite out-hitting Brooklyn 11–9, the Gothic Knights were undone by six defensive errors.
Game- 1 | Brooklyn- 3, NJCU- 4
Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the seventh, Brooklyn (12-23) rallied to tie the game behind timely hitting. After a one-out single by Olivia Gonzalez and a double from Lianna Gonzalez put runners in scoring position, Haylee Burleigh reached on a fielder's choice to keep the inning alive. With two outs, Addy Cook delivered a clutch two-run double to left-center, evening the score at 3-3.
However, New Jersey City responded immediately in the bottom half. Jaeda Figueroa was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Maggie Martin followed with a walk-off RBI double to secure the 4-3 victory for the Gothic Knights.
Brooklyn collected 10 hits in the game, with Julia Corcoran leading the way with a 2-for-3 performance. Cook drove in two runs, while Trinity Guadalupe added an RBI. Lianna Gonzalez and Burleigh each scored a run and contributed a hit.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the second inning when Guadalupe singled home Corcoran for a 1-0 lead. New Jersey City answered in the third, capitalizing on a Brooklyn error to plate two unearned runs and take a 2-1 advantage.
The Gothic Knights extended their lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Arianna Figueroa before Brooklyn's seventh-inning rally tied the game.
Kureshma Dhanraj was charge with the loss for Brooklyn, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits over 6.1 innings, while striking out none. Danika Borza earned the complete-game victory for New Jersey City, giving up three runs (two earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts.
