The streak is over.

Rowan’s softball team won 31 straight games to open the season, but after facing The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Lions in a home doubleheader, the team lost their first game of the year after a 5-2 loss in the second game. 

The day got off to a good start, though, as the Profs took home a 6-0 win in the first game. Rowan got off to a fast start, scoring all of their runs in just one inning.

It started off with an Abigail Pawlowski walk with the bases loaded to open up the scoring. Pawlowski had two walks on the day as well. Third base Breanna Bryant singled to make the lead 2-0, and then the game opened up when outfielder Aly Reim singled to put the Profs up 4-0. First base Holly Markus walked, and then second baseman Liz McCaffery grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring the score up to 6-0. 

That was all the runs Profs would need, as Rylee Lutz would shut the Lions down the rest of the day with another All-American performance. She went the distance for the ninth time, throwing seven scoreless innings and only surrendering six baserunners all game with two strikeouts for her eighth shutout of the season. That was also the nation-leading 20th shutout for the team as well. Lutz also had a different approach for this game.

“This one was more of like, just trying to get out, like, as much as possible,” Lutz said. “Don’t let them get extra base hits. I know they’re a really good hitting team, so it wasn’t necessarily looking for as many strikeouts.”

This approach worked as Lutz collected her 13th win of the year. 

Head coach Kim Wilson was pleased with the results of the game and even took some positives from their first loss on the year.

“I think the positive part is we got a lot of people in scoring position,” Wilson said.

Game two was a completely different story though, as the Profs’ offense was silent until the bottom of the third, when Payton MacNair slapped a single to give Rowan the 1-0 lead. However, it was all TCNJ from that point on.

Julia Kinnally homered in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 2-1 game. Then, Rachel Alecci tacked on an insurance run after an error. Rowan got one back, though, as Mikayla Dansky scored on a TCNJ error to make it a 3-2 ballgame. However, Kinnally continued her outstanding day with a two-run double in the top of the seventh to kill any chance of a Profs’ rally and provide the final 5-2 margin. 

TCNJ was able to do something that most teams have struggled with all year: get to Emily McCutcheon, as the Profs’ ERA leader was tagged with four runs and nine hits.

“I kept the same approach in this game that I have been just working hard in and keeping them off balance with my off-speed,” McCutcheon said. “The home run was a good pitch. She got it and hit it far. I just kept throwing to my spots and pitching like I know how.”

Rowan did have some issues in game two that weren’t there in game one. They conceded a season high five runs for starters, but two errors as well, and nine hits on the day. The offense also got runners on but weren’t able to bring them home, as 12 runners reached base but only two came home.

“Get some better, more productive outs, or we didn’t have productive at-bats when we had people on,” Wilson said. “We need to play better defense in that game. I think we put too many people on and early in the innings.”

With the loss, the historic win streak comes to a close. But the streak was never on anyone’s mind.

“I don’t know that we were feeling pressure. Honestly, I thought we were just coming out and playing our game,” Wilson said. “I think we have a mature enough team that I wouldn’t say it’s pressure at all. I just think, you know, we didn’t play as well in the second game as we have been.”

That sentiment was shared between both pitchers. Well, Lutz had this to say in response to the same question.

“We came in not thinking really much about it, like others after the game, everyone be like, oh, like, you’re undefeated, whatever. But we were just like, it’s just another game,” Lutz said.

“Yeah, [a loss] was going to happen eventually, and I think it’s just better to happen now before we go into the postseason,” McCutcheon said.

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