A rough 0-6 weekend on the diamond for Rutgers baseball & softball

For the softball team, it was a matter of running into a team that was playing at an almost .800 winning percentage and being the No. 19 team in the country. It was a tough way to end a long season.

For baseball, it was facing the conference leaders on their home turf in front of some of the largest crowds Rutgers has ever played before. And it put a serious dent in the squad’s post-season hopes.

Softball ends quietly

Facing one of the best teams in the country as your finale is never something you look forward to. It was a harsh ending for the Knights as they went 0-3 versus Michigan (41-10, 20-3 B1G). The Knights were outscored 45-2 in the three games, with the last two contests ending after five innings (10-run rule). Rutgers finished the season at 14-37, 5-18 B1G. The Scarlet and Maryland were the only teams not to make the 12-team Big Ten tournament field.

Baseball on the ropes

Two weeks ago, the Knights sat in eighth place in the conference, the last tournament slot. Today, they are in 12th place, but still only three games out of contention. Illinois, currently at 7-11 in the B1G, comes to Bainton field this weekend for the last RU home series. The Illini did themselves a big favor by taking two of three from Maryland while RU dropped all three to league leading Nebraska.

The Scarlet played pretty competitive baseball at Nebraska, dropping games by 8-5, 9-3, and 7-6 counts. But being competitive in the scores was overshadowed by the eight errors (3,3, and 2) the Knights made in the three game set. Nebraska draws very well as 5,781, 6,007, and 5,738 attended the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games, respectively.

Rutgers will have to do better in the two make up games against Minnesota (29-15, 12-6 B1G) next week. That will determine whether the season-ending series against Northwestern (19-27, 8-10 B1G) will be meaningful for the Knights.