GLASSBORO, NJ -- #16 Rowan won its opening round game of the 2023 NJAC Tournament on Saturday with a 1-0 win over William Paterson. The Profs will now take on Stockton in second round action on Tuesday here in Glassboro with a 4 p.m. start.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

The top-seeded Profs scored an unearned run in the first inning and made it stand thanks to starter Rylee Lutz who limited the Pioneers to just two hits with three strikeouts and a walk to raise her record to 20-2. William Paterson duo Lilah Guthy (3.1 IP) and Jaelynn Miller (2.2 IP) held Rowan without a hit in the contest where Guthy suffered the tough-luck loss.

Payton MacNair led off the bottom of the first, hustling all the way to third on a dropped fly ball in right. Two batters later, Liz McCaffery hit a sacrifice fly to left to plate MacNair for the 1-0 lead.

Lutz spun out of two spots in the fourth and fifth innings as the sixth-seeded Pioneers were able to get two runners on in each frame. Devyn DiPasquale made a nice grab off a liner in foul territory to end the fourth while Breanna Bryant capped the fifth with a force out at third base.

McCaffery and Korie Hague also reached base via a walk in the fourth, then later moved up a base on a double steal before a fly out to left for the third out.

#5 Stockton fell, 2-0, at #2 Ramapo while #3 TCNJ took down #4 Kean, 3-0, in Saturday's other first-round action. William Paterson will now play Kean in an elimination game and Ramapo and TCNJ meet on Tuesday. The tournament will conclude here in Glassboro next weekend with the winner earning the NJAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Tournament.