RAPTOR OF THE WEEK
Michelle Schlichtig (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights)
Junior Michelle Schlichtig turned in a phenomenal week during the Lady Raptors’ 8-0 softball trip to Florida last week, going 6-0 with one save and a no-hitter on the mound and batting .500 with a 1.154 slugging percentage and 17 RBIs. She allowed only 18 hits and four runs (three earned) in 37-2/3 innings, walking 10 and striking out 51. She had three doubles, a triple and four home runs, and capped her week with a no-hitter against Molloy March 18, walking three and striking out 12.
SOFTBALL (13-1)
Mon., Mar 14 Rutgers-Camden 3-4, Ripon College (WI) 2-3
Tues., Mar. 15 Rutgers-Camden 8-9, St. Thomas Aquinas College (NY) 0-1
Wed., Mar. 16 Rutgers-Camden 10-14, Ohio Valley College (WV) 1-3
Thur., Mar. 17 Mitchell College (CT), rained out
Fri., Mar. 18 Rutgers-Camden 4-9, Molloy College (NY) 0-0
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wed., Mar. 23 McDaniel College (doubleheader) 5:30 p.m.
Tues., Mar. 29 Ursinus College (doubleheader) 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 2 Ramapo College (doubleheader) 1 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 6 Cabrini College (doubleheader) 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 9 at Rutgers University-Newark (doubleheader) 1 p.m.
A perfect 8-0 trip to the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp ended with an amazing program first for the Rutgers-Camden softball team last week. Junior Michelle Schlichtig (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights) hurled a 4-0 no-hitter in the opening game and senior Becky Johnson (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) followed suit with a 9-0 no-hitter in the nightcap as the Lady Raptors ended their spring trip with a sweep against Division II Molloy College (NY) March 18.
The sweep was the first double no-hitter in Rutgers-Camden history and left the Lady Raptors, No. 16 in the pre-season Division III national poll, with a 13-1 record heading back home. Rutgers-Camden has won 10 straight games, including all eight as it swept through the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp for the second consecutive year. The last six wins have come against Division II teams.
In the opening game, Schlichtig collected the third no-hitter in her one-plus years with the Lady Raptors. She walked three and struck out 12, including five straight and seven of eight over one span from the second through fourth innings. It was the program’s 10th no-hitter and the first since Schlichtig no-hit the College of Staten Island, 18-0, in the second game of a doubleheader April 22, 2004.
Schlichtig helped her own cause, leading off the game with a home run to provide the only run she needed. The Raptors added an unearned run in the third and added a run in the fourth on a base hit by freshman left fielder Julie Grochowski (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), who stole second and scored on Schlichtig’s single.
Rutgers-Camden’s final run came in the fifth inning when sophomore right fielder Autumn Millett (Richwood, NJ/Clearview Regional) singled, stole two bases and scored on a hit by freshman first baseman Kathleen Dreitlein (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston).
In the nightcap, it was Johnson’s turn to dazzle on the mound and at the plate. She walked only two and struck out six in her first appearance on the mound since breaking her nose after being hit by a pitch against St. Thomas Aquinas in the first game of a twinbill March 15.
Johnson’s two-run single sparked a four-run first inning for the Raptors, which also featured RBIs by sophomore left fielder Tara Fisher (Upper Deerfield, Cumberland Regional) as a hit batsman and freshman right fielder Jayme Feriod (Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) with a walk.
Johnson tripled home two runs in the second inning before the Raptors capped their big explosion with a three-run third. That frame featured a two-run homer by Schlichtig and a solo shot by Millett. Schlichtig’s home run continued her season-long hitting streak, stretching it to 14 games.
Overall, sophomore third baseman Alaina Giles (Willingboro, NJ/Holy Cross) and sophomore catcher Mo Baney (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) each went 2-for-2, with Baney scoring a run. Millett and Johnson each went 2-for-3.
A day earlier, the Raptors swept Div. II Ohio Valley (WV) College, 10-1 and 14-3, in a pair of games called after five innings by the eight-run rule.
The Lady Raptors took the lead for good in the first game on a two-out, two-run single in the top of the first inning by Giles. After Ohio Valley tallied an unearned run in the bottom of the frame off winning pitcher Schlichtig, the Raptors got that run back in the top of the second on Schlichtig’s sacrifice fly.
Rutgers-Camden exploded for five runs in the third inning on seven hits, including a two-run double by senior shortstop Celeste Chinappi (Bellmawr, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and a two-run single by Millett. Millett added a two-run single in the fifth inning, closing the game with a 2-for-2 performance for four RBIs and one run scored.
Feriod went 3-for-3 with two runs scored for the Lady Raptors. Giles and Schlichtig each went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Giles had two RBIs, while Schlichtig added one. Schlichtig also struck out seven, walked two and allowed only two hits in her complete-game performance.
In the second game, Fisher made her first appearance on the mound for the Raptors. After allowing three runs in the top of the first inning, she returned to her customary position in left field and Schlichtig finished the game, working four no-hit innings, walking three and striking out seven. She raised her record to 8-0.
Grochowski singled home a run for the Raptors in the second inning, setting the stage for a huge eight-run explosion in the third inning before the Lady Scots retired a batter. The Raptors loaded the bases on a single by Millett, a walk to Baney and an HBP by Dreitlein. The Raptors followed by drawing four consecutive walks to force home four runs as Giles, Fisher, Grochowski and Feriod took free passes. Schlichtig capped the frame with a grand slam. It was the Raptors’ first grand slam since Ashley O’Brien hit one in the fourth inning of the nightcap against the College of Staten Island, April 22, 2004.
Millett, who along with Chinappi and Schlichtig each had two hits, clubbed a three-run home run in a five-run fourth inning, moments after Schlichtig doubled home two runs.
Chinappi’s three runs scored on the day allowed her to pass Sarah O’Malley’s school mark of 73, set from 2001-2003. Chinappi now owns 74 runs scored in her career.
On March 15, the Raptors swept Div. II opponent St. Thomas Aquinas College, 8-0 and 9-1, as both games ended in the sixth inning due to an eight-run rule.
Schlichtig collected both victories, hurling a three-hit shutout in the opening game and working five innings in the nightcap, allowing six hits and one earned run. Schlichtig struck out 14 batters on the day, including 11 in the opening game, while walking only one. She owns four shutouts in her six starts this season.
The Lady Raptors scored all the runs they needed with a four-run third inning in the opener. The frame opened with a single by Feriod, who collected a pair of hits and scored one run in each game. Feriod stole second base and scored on a one-out single by Chinappi. After a two-out error allowed Baney to reach base, Johnson ripped a two-run double. The two RBIs gave her 83 for her career, passing the old school mark of 82 set by Sarah O’Malley (2001-03).
Johnson came home to score on a triple by Dreitlein, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Raptors added single runs in the fourth and fifth on an RBI double by Schlichtig and an RBI single by Feriod, respectively. They ended the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Dreitlein’s two-run triple gave them the 8-0 margin. Dreitlein’s two triples tied a single-game program record accomplished four times previously, the last coming by Allison Cooney in the first game against Ripon College, March 18, 2002.
In the nightcap, the Raptors scored two runs in the first inning on a two-out throwing error by losing pitcher Jessica Gogatz. They added three runs in the second, sparked by a one-out single and a stolen base from Feriod. The Raptors tacked on RBI singles from Schlichtig, Chinappi and Baney in the frame.
Giles and Grochowski each added RBI singles in the fifth inning. The Raptors added single runs in the sixth and seventh on an RBI single by Chinappi and a run-scoring double by freshman left fielder Kim Faust (Erial, NJ/Timber Creek).
For the game, Schlichtig went 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Chinappi, Baney and Feriod each went 2-for-4.
The Raptors opened their Florida trip March 14 by sweeping Ripon College (WI) behind an amazing performance by Schlichtig.
In the opener, Schlichtig tossed a six-hitter and the Lady Raptors rallied from a two-run deficit to pull out a 3-2 victory, aided by Schlichtig’s RBI triple to cap a three-run fifth inning. In the nightcap, Schlichtig’s three-run home run capped a four-run fifth inning as the Raptors rallied from a three-run deficit to the lead. Schlichtig ended her day when she relieved Johnson with one out and the bases loaded in the fifth inning and coaxed a comebacker to the mound, starting a 1-2-3 double play to wriggle out of the jam. She went the rest of the way, hurling 2-2/3 innings of one-hit shutout ball as the Raptors posted a 4-3 victory.
In the opener, Schlichtig allowed a pair of first-inning runs on a two-out double by Chrissy Schneider. Those runs were the first allowed by Schlichtig this season, snapping her string of 19-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Raptors, meanwhile, were shut down for the first four innings by Ripon pitcher Jen Mueller until their big fifth inning. Millett sparked the frame with a double. She moved to third on a single by Giles and scored on a sacrifice fly by Fisher. Feriod followed with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Mueller, which scored Giles to tie the game. Schlichtig followed with her triple, scoring Feriod with the winning run.
In the nightcap, the Red Hawks scored a run in the first inning and added a two-run homer in the third by junior catcher Rose Reichhart.
Rutgers-Camden bounced back in the fifth inning when Dreitlein singled and advanced on a single by Giles. After Fisher forced Dreitlein at third, junior first baseman Megan Rulon (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional) ripped a run-scoring single. Schlichtig followed with her three-run home run.
Ripon loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of singles and an intentional walk to Reichhart, prompting Schlichtig’s return to the mound. She retired Schneider on a 1-2-3 double play and went on to earn her first save of the season.
In the first game, the Raptors had seven hits spread out over the batting order. In the nightcap, Rutgers-Camden’s five-hit attack was sparked by two singles from Dreitlein and the three RBIs by Schlichtig.
On the same day the Raptors were sweeping Ripon, Millett and Schlichtig were honored as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. The honors are based on games played from March 7-13.
Millett went 8-for-16 (.500) over the first six games as the Lady Raptors, ranked No. 16 nationally in the pre-season Division III poll, got off to a 5-1 start. She collected 11 RBIs, scored eight runs and had four walks during that span, slugging .813 and compiling a .571 on-base percentage. She had one home run, a triple and was successful in both her stolen base attempts.
Schlichtig started the season with three consecutive shutouts, including a one-hitter against Neumann College March 7 in which she lost her no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning. She struck out 12 in that game, one of two 12-strikeout performances in her first three starts. Overall, she worked 19 straight scoreless innings, allowing six hits and seven walks, while fanning 31.
BASEBALL (8-2)
Tue., Mar. 15 Rutgers-Camden 21, Wesleyan (CT) 4
Wed., Mar. 16 Puget Sound (WA) 5, Rutgers-Camden 3
Fri., Mar. 18 Rutgers-Camden 16, Occidental (CA) 2
Fr., Mar. 18 Rutgers-Camden 12, Whittier (CA) 2
Sat., Mar. 19 Rutgers-Camden 15, Wisconsin-La Crosse 7
Sat., Mar. 19 Pomona-Pitzer (CA), rained out
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tue., Mar. 22 Gwynedd-Mercy College 3 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 23 New Jersey City University 3 p.m.
Thur., Mar. 24 Haverford College 3 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 26 John Jay College of Criminal Justice 1 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 30 Arcadia University 3 p.m.
Thur., Mar. 31 at Franklin & Marshall College 3 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 1 The College of New Jersey 3 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 2 at Montclair State University (DH) 11:30 a.m.
The Rutgers-Camden baseball team found golden success on the diamonds of southern California.
Junior third baseman Brian Jakubowski (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) went 2-for-5 and drove home four runs and junior right fielder Nick Turekian (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) ripped a three-run home run to power the Scarlet Raptors to a 15-7 victory over Wisconsin-La Crosse at the California Invitational March 19.
The game was called by rain after eight innings, and the Scarlet Raptors’ scheduled second game against Pomona-Pitzer was rained out. They completed their nine-game trip to California with a 7-2 record, and came home with an 8-2 mark overall.
The Scarlet Raptors, who have won three straight games and seven of their last eight, collected 12 hits in the game, including two apiece by Jakubowski, junior first baseman Matt Calloway (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional), sophomore center fielder Nate Buchter (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) and senior catcher Dustin Roach (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee). Roach went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI as he stretched his team-high hitting streak to nine games.
It was the ninth time in 10 games this season the Raptors have broken double-digits in the hit column.
Junior Tom Ford (Laurel Springs, NJ/Paul VI) was the beneficiary of the offensive support as he raised his record to 2-0. He worked 6.2 innings, scattering 11 hits and allowing one walk and four runs, three earned. He struck out four.
After Wisconsin-La Crosse took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Raptors tied the game in the third on RBI singles by Calloway and senior left fielder Ed McDonnell (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee).
Rutgers-Camden broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning, which included a two-run single by junior second baseman Nick Faragasso (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic).
A two-run double by Jakubowski highlighted the Raptors’ three-run seventh inning, and Turekian ripped a three-run homer in a four-run eighth.
Rutgers-Camden returned from California with a .398 team batting average. Eight regulars are hitting .382 or higher. Roach leads all regulars with a .528 batting average. He also has team highs of 19 RBIs and three home runs.
Rutgers-Camden pounded out 32 hits, including a 6-for-9 day by Turekian, as it swept Occidental College and Whittier College at the California Invitational March 18 in Whittier, California.
The Raptors defeated Occidental, 16-2, in the opening game as Turekian went 3-for-4 with one run and three RBIs and Faragasso went 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs. The game was called in the seventh inning by a 10-run rule.
Faragasso, who finished with eight RBIs on the day, added three in the second game as Rutgers-Camden defeated host Whittier, 12-2. The game was called in the eighth inning due to a 10-run rule.
In the nightcap, Rutgers-Camden received three hits apiece from Roach, Buchter and Turekian.
The Scarlet Raptors broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning of the opener on an RBI double by junior shortstop Tyler Inkster (Audubon, NJ/Audubon). They plated four runs in the third, sparked by Faragasso’s bases-clearing triple, to make it a 6-1 game.
Rutgers-Camden tacked on six more runs in the fourth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and collecting six hits, two walks and a hit batsman. Faragasso poked a two-run double to open the floodgates, while Roach, Turekian, Inkster and freshman center fielder Joe Midili (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) each added RBI singles.
Junior righty Derek Heritage (Cedarbrook, NJ/Edgewood) picked up the victory in relief, working the final 3-2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing four hits. He didn’t allow a run as he raised his record to 2-0.
In the nightcap, senior ace Matt Ulmer (Beverly, NJ/Holy Cross) hurled a complete game, scattering eight hits and two walks to raise his record to 2-0. He struck out six and allowed two runs, only one earned. It was his 14th career victory, only three shy of the program mark of 17 set by Gar Miller (1957-60).
Rutgers-Camden opened the game with four straight walks off Whittier pitching, with Faragasso’s walk forcing home a run. Turekian added a run-scoring single in the frame.
The Raptors broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning, aided by Faragasso’s two-run double and a two-run home run from Roach.
Leading, 10-2, the Raptors ended the game in the top of the eighth due to the 10-run rule on an RBI walk by Buchter and a run-scoring single by Inkster.
Calloway went 4-for-7 with five runs and three RBIs on the day as he raised his career hit total to 110, sixth on the program’s all-time list.
On March 16, junior center fielder Shaun Messerli hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, snapping a tie game and leading the University of Puget Sound (WA) over Rutgers-Camden, 5-3, at Claremont Mudd-Scripps. The Loggers scored two runs in the bottom of the frame, sparked by Messerli’s homer, to raise their record to 7-5-1. The Scarlet Raptors fell to 5-2, snapping a four-game winning streak.
Rutgers-Camden scored an unearned run in the second inning on a single by sophomore DH Butch Amato (Haddon Heights, NJ/Paul VI), a passed ball and an RBI single by Buchter.
The Raptors added a run in the top of the fourth on singles by Amato, and Roach and a run-scoring hit by Inkster. Puget Sound, however, bounced back with a three-run fourth, capped by a two-run double from Messerli.
Rutgers-Camden tied the game in the top of the sixth inning when Faragasso poked a double, advanced on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly by Roach, but Messerli opened the bottom of the frame with his tie-breaking home run. The Loggers added another run on a sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher A.J. Jorg.
Freshman Ryan Gustafson, the third of six Logger pitchers, collected the win. He worked two innings, allowing two hits, one earned run and no walks, while fanning one. Junior teammate Eddie Monge worked a scoreless ninth to earn the save, allowing only one walk and striking out one. He ended the game with a double play, one of three twin-killings the Raptors grounded into during the day.
Freshman Ryan Sullivan (Deptford, NJ/Deptford), the second of four Rutgers-Camden pitchers, took the loss. He allowed two earned runs, four hits and one walk in two innings, striking out two.
Messerli went 3-for-4 with one run and three RBIs for Puget Sound. Butcher, Amato and McDonnell each had two hits for the Raptors.
Rutgers-Camden put on its own fireworks display March 15 at Claremont Mudd-Scipps, ripping 18 hits in a 21-4 victory over Wesleyan (CT) University. The game was called after seven innings.
The Raptors’ 21-run explosion was the most runs since a 23-4 victory over Lincoln University April 9, 2002.
Rutgers-Camden was paced by Roach, who went 4-for-4 with two runs and six RBIs. Three RBIs came on a home run in the second inning which gave the Raptors the lead for good, 3-0.
Freshman center fielder Joe Midili (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) went 3-for-5 with one run and three RBIs, including his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. That homer ignited the first of two straight six-run innings for Rutgers-Camden. The fourth inning also included a two-run homer by McDonnell, who went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs on the day.
Buchter went 2-for-6 with one run and four RBIs. He had a pair of two-run singles, coming in the fifth and seventh innings.
Amato and Faragasso scored three runs apiece, with Faragasso going 2-for-5 and Amato reaching base three times - twice on walks and once as a hit batsman. Calloway went 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
Overall, the Raptors ripped four extra-base hits, including three homers, reached base five times as hit batsmen and took advantage of nine walks and two errors.
Senior Matt Novella (Lindenwold, NJ/Overbrook Regional) worked the first five innings to pick up the win, evening his record at 1-1. He allowed six hits, two walks and two earned runs. He struck out two.
TRACK & FIELD
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sat., March 26 at University of Pennsylvania Invitational 10 a.m.
CREW
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sat., March 26 at Murphy Cup Regatta, Philadelphia, PA
GOLF
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Fri., April 1 at Moravian College Invitational 12:30 p.m.
(Southmoore Golf Course, Bath, PA)
