GLASSBORO, NJ -- #15 Rowan captured the 2024 New Jersey Athletic Conference Softball Championship as the Profs downed Ramapo, 1-0, on Saturday to capture the program's 12th NJAC title in program history.

Game Highlights

Payton MacNair doubled in Liz McCaffery in the fourth and starter Rylee Lutz gave up just two hits en route to the championship. MacNair finished the day 3-for-3, all doubles which is a career best, and Breanna Bryant added two hits. The Profs needed just one win on Saturday after going 2-0 in the tournament with wins on Monday against TCNJ and on Tuesday vs. Kean.

With the win, Rowan secures the NJAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Pairings will be announced this Monday at NCAA.com at 11 a.m. Following the announcement of the 62-team field, competition will begin with regionals on May 16-18 and continue through finals on May 30-June 5 at Bell Park at Taylor Field in Marshall, Texas, where the Profs look for a return trip. Rowan claimed the 2022 NJAC Championship and an NCAA berth with last season's team earning an at-large bid and propelling itself all the way to the finals in Texas for a fifth-place national finish.

The Roadrunners, who advanced to the finals of the double elimination tournament with its 4-3 win over Kean in an elimination game earlier in the day, got hits from Katie Rygiel and Avery Bartolomeo. Marissa DiPaolo threw into the fourth before being lifted after MacNair's RBI double.

McCaffery led off the fourth with a single to left. Two batters later, she raced all the way home as MacNair's double was over the left fielder's reach.

Ramapo looked to answer in the fifth, getting runners on first and second with two down, but Lutz induced a pop up to McCaffery at second to squash the threat. The Profs did the same in the bottom half, as a two-out pop up with runners on would send things to the sixth.

Emily McCutcheon came on in the seventh to nail down the save. With two outs and the tying run at first, McCaffery had to make a quick throw to first on a tough grounder to help start the celebration.