The No. 2-ranked Rowan softball team swept conference foe Ramapo in a home doubleheader on Thursday, April 17, by final scores of 5-2 and 6-1. The two wins improved Rowan’s record to 35-1.

Coming off their first loss of the season to TCNJ in their last game, Rowan struggled early to establish a rhythm and faced a 2-1 deficit after three innings as pitcher Rylee Lutz struggled, allowing a season-high five walks while the Profs’ offense struggled to get on base.

That all changed in the fourth inning, when Rowan erupted to score four runs in the frame. An Aly Reim double started the scoring, followed up by a double from Kate Evick to give the Profs their first lead of the game. Later in the inning, an errant throw from the Ramapo catcher enabled Evick to score from third before a Liz McCaffery single up the middle made it a 5-2 game. 

Ramapo threatened at the top of the sixth after putting runners on first and third. A ball hit to Rowan’s left fielder, Abigail Pawlowski, seemed deep enough to score Ramapo’s Emily Ehrmann from third. However, Pawlowski erased the would-be run with a laser throw to beat the runner home and end the inning still up three. Pawlowski talked about what went through her mind while making the play.

“It felt really good. I’ve only done that once before,” Pawlowski said. “I just called it, ready to throw it home. I thought it was a bad throw, but it wasn’t. I was surprised and really, really excited to make that play.”

Neither team scored again, and game one ended as a 5-2 Prof victory. Lutz earned her 14th victory and kept her perfect record in tack.

Emily McCutcheon took the mound in game two for the Profs, looking to get back in the win column after her first loss of the season in her last start.

McCutcheon would be aided by major run support in the first inning from the Prof offense. Aggressive baserunning would prove beneficial for the Profs as an attempted double steal led to an errant throw by the Ramapo catcher, allowing McCaffery to score from second as the game’s first run. Bre Bryant and Holly Markus both contributed with RBI singles, and Payton MacNair scored on a wild pitch to leave the inning up 4-0.

The four runs were all the cushion McCutcheon needed, as she scattered six hits and allowed only one run to pitch a complete game. Rowan added a run in the second and fourth innings, respectively, to cruise to a 6-1 game two victory. McCutcheon talked about how it felt to put together a strong performance and put her last start behind her. 

“It felt really good today to come out and get the win today,” McCutcheon said. “It’s great as a team, too, that we can come back from that. Losing is never what we want, but getting the sweep today shows some dedication and heart.”

McCutcheon’s strong performance on the mound, terrific defense behind her, and a Prof offense that produced 11 hits and six stolen bases in game two reminded everyone why the Rowan are national title contenders. Rowan head coach Kim Wilson talked about the character of her team, specifically in how they responded to the feeling of losing a chance at an undefeated season.

“It was big, really big,” Wilson said. “To get the sweep against a very good team, and you know, we knew we would lose one eventually. To see them being resilient is good stuff.”

Key performers during the doubleheader included McCaffrey, who went 5-7 with two triples, giving her a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) leading six triples on the season. McCaffrey also stole three bases and scored three runs. Pawlowski recorded a two-hit game in game two, and Reim notched a two-hit game one, adding two RBI’s across both games. 

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