WEEK of: MAY 2-8, 2011
Junior right-handed pitcher #NELSON MALDONADO# (Newark, NJ/St. Mary’s (Jersey City)) is the NJCU Men’s Athlete of the Week for the second time in his career and the second time this season after tossing the fifth consecutive complete game by a New Jersey City University pitcher to close the 2011 season as the Gothic Knights defeated Centenary College, 3-2, in a road game on May 3.
Maldonado, who also tossed a complete game in a win over Montclair State University on April 27, picked up his third complete game of the season and fourth of his career while posting his fifth effort this year with six or more strikeouts and fourth outing with at least seven K’s in his last five starts. In his nine-inning performance, Maldonado struck out seven, walked four and allowed just two runs and seven hits. He started the game with 100 career strikeouts and in 10th place in program history, but vaulted into seventh place after three seasons with 107 Ks.
Maldonado struck out one batter in each of the first six innings of the game. In the seventh, he faced his toughest challenge, loading the bases with two outs after allowing two walks sandwiched around a single. But Maldonado maintained a 2-1 lead and displayed his glove, snaring a line drive back to the mound to end the inning. NJCU scored an insurance run in the ninth for a 3-1 cushion. Centenary was able to score once in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly. But Maldonado sealed the win with a game and season-ending groundball to shortstop.
While his overall won-loss record was misleading, Maldonado emerged as perhaps the best pitcher on the staff as a junior and was the winning pitcher in half of the team’s New Jersey Athletic Conference wins, including the win over Montclair State and a 6-1 win at Rutgers University-Camden on April 9. Overall in 10 appearances and nine starts, Maldonado was 3-5 with a 3.78 ERA, striking out 48 batters against 22 walks in 66.2 innings. He allowed 74 hits with 28 earned runs. As of May 9, Maldonado ranked six in the NJAC in games started, eighth in innings pitched, 10th in batters struck out looking (16), 13th in strikeouts and 23rd in wins.
