UNION, N.J. (4/20/16) – Junior hurler Shannon McMahon of the Kean University softball team tossed her fifth shutout of the season as the Cougars blanked FDU-Florham 4-0 in game two on Wednesday. The Devils topped Kean 3-2 in the opener.
Kacie Worswick knocked a long solo homerun into the batting cages in leftfield for Kean in the third inning of game one, tying the game at one after FDU scored in the top of the same inning.
The Cougars scratched across another run in the fifth, when Tiffany Varriello led off with a walk, Tonianne DeMatteo bunted her to second and Olivia Zengel singled down the leftfield line for a two-out RBI in a textbook example of small-ball offense.
However, the Devils pushed across two unearned runs in the sixth on a two-out, 2-RBI single by Jaclyn Herrington to take back the lead, 3-2.
Dana Knapp cut down a runner from centerfield at the end the seventh inning to keep the Devil lead at one, but Sydney Worek got Kean to go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame to earn with win. She pitched a complete game and struck out seven for her tenth victory of the year.
In game two, McMahon twirled a four-hit shutout to earn her ninth win of 2016. All four Devil hits were singles and only one runner made it past second base. McMahon struck out four and retired 11-straight batters at one point.
The Cougars scored a run in the first inning without needing a hit; Emily Sabo walked, moved to second on a ground out and then stole third. The throw went to leftfield instead of third base, and Sabo raced home with the game's first run on the error.
In the third, Samantha Krakower stroked a single back up the middle. With two outs, Kean had runners on first and second for Knapp. The junior ripped a groundball through the left side so hard it rolled all the way to the wall for an RBI double that made the score 2-0.
In the next inning, Emily Bissonnette, Zengel and Krakower all had singles as Kean doubled its lead to 4-0 after the two RBIs off the bat of Krakower (pictured left). McMahon struck out the final batter of the game to slam the door on the Devils.
McMahon pitched a total of eight shutout innings on Tuesday for Kean (15-17). FDU is now 15-11 on the year.
The Cougars will resume their season-long homestand on Saturday with an NJAC matchup against The College of New Jersey beginning at 1 p.m.
