Rutgers softball travels to Alabama this weekend for Mardi Gras Classic
The Rutgers softball team will travel to Mobile, Alabama, to compete in the Mardi Gras Classic starting today and going through the weekend. The Scarlet Knights (5-0, 0-0) will take on Missouri State, Mississippi Valley State and South Alabama during the series of games.
After picking up five victories at the NorCal Kickoff last weekend, Rutgers hopes to continue its winning ways. The Knights are heading into their next set of games undefeated and have started their season off in a historical fashion.
Rutgers saw stellar performances in the first round of games from many of its key players. Junior shortstop Kyleigh Sand was named Big Ten Player of the Week. This past weekend, she started her season off with a batting average of .611, along with eight runs, three runs batted in (RBIs), and five steals.
Leading behind Sand in the NorCal Kickoff for the Knights is sophomore infielder Maddie Lawson who scored two runs against Utah Valley, finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs over Santa Clara and contributed a run and another RBI against UC Davis.
Senior infielder Payton Lincavage moved into a seventh-place tie for all-time Rutgers career triples with a triple to start her season. Lincavage had eight RBIs in last week’s games.
A handful of new additions to the team had standout performances last weekend as well. Junior pitcher and outfielder Morgan Smith starred in her first game since transferring from LSU. Smith pitched for five innings with six strikeouts against the Wolverines (2-3, 0-0) and had two RBIs and a sac fly against the Broncos (0-4, 0-0).
Freshman pitcher Ryann Orange started her career with a home run and four RBIs while also pitching a scoreless last inning against Santa Clara.
The game will kick off the Mardi Gras Classic at 11:00 a.m. today by facing off against The Bears (0-4, 0-0). The two following games will be against The Devils (0-3, 0-0) at 4:00 p.m. today and at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.
For the final two games, the Knights will go against The Jaguars (1-3, 0-0) at 6:30 tomorrow and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Since the team is hosting the Mardi Gras Classic, a home-field advantage could potentially threaten Rutgers.
The Knights have the honor of being one of the only teams on a winning streak. Especially considering how Rutgers performed last weekend, the team is hopeful to bring home more wins.
The Knights' game against South Alabama on Sunday afternoon will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Live stats of the other games will be available on StatBroadcast.com.
For more updates on the Rutgers softball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
