NEWARK, NJ…Rutgers-Newark rallied from a 6-4 deficit by scoring four two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Scarlet Raiders edged New Jersey City University, 8-6, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball game on Friday at Bears and Eagles’ Riverfront Stadium.
Newark (4-15, 1-1 NJAC), had lost nine of 10 games entering the contest, many against regionally or nationally ranked opponents. The loss for NJCU (8-8, 0-1 NJAC) snapped a four-game winning streak as the Gothic Knights were playing their 2007 NJAC opener. The schools combined to strand 19 runners on base.
For Newark, junior catcher Dan Zika (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) had the decisive hit with a two-run single in the eighth inning that put the Raiders in front, 7-6, before a third run scored when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Zika finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs and one run.
Also for the Raiders, junior Doug Ford (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), who moved from third baseman to rightfield in the game, finished 2-for-4 with two runs as the leadoff hitter. Senior shortstop John Farmer (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) went 2-for-4, while sophomore centerfielder Mike DiMattia (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) was 1-for-3 with two runs.
NJCU lost despite out-hitting the Raiders, 13-9. Junior centerfielder
ROB SUMNER (Union, NJ/Union) was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, one run, and his 14
th steal of the year, upping his batting average to .516 after 16 games. Junior second baseman
ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) finished 3-for-4 with one run.
Junior first baseman
RUBEN BORGES (Union, NJ/Union) was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, hitting safely in his eighth straight game. Junior leftfielder
ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) added a 2-for-5 effort with two runs.
NJCU had runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the ninth before popping out and grounding into a game-ending double play.
In relief, sophomore right-hander Robert Adams (Little Falls, NJ/Passaic Valley) earned the win (1-0), allowing one run and two hits in the eighth inning. Senior Adam DiLorenzo (Maywood, NJ/Hackensack) survived the ninth inning scare to earn his third save of the year, allowing one hit.
For the Knights, rookie left-hander
JONATHAN GOMEZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary’s (Jersey City)) pitched well in an emergency relief role, but suffered the hard-luck loss. In 4.0 innings, he allowed five runs (four earned) against only three hits, while striking out five and walking two. He left the game in the bottom of the eighth leading 6-5, but with the bases loaded, and suffered the loss (1-2) when the bullpen couldn’t close the door.
Gomez relieved senior righty
MILTON RODRIGUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist), who pitched well in 3.2 innings, but was forced to leave the game with a deep cut caused by an opponent’s spikes on a play at first base.
Newark led 3-2 heading into the sixth inning before the Knights gained a 4-3 edge on an RBI single by Sumner. NJCU escaped a base-running mishap in the inning when a wide throw ended a rundown against the Knights. But after Sumner and Decibus pulled off a double steal in the inning, Decibus overslid third base and was caught in an inning-ending rundown going home. The Raiders tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth when senior first baseman Bill Mercurio (Wappinger Falls, NJ/Arlington) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded—his 10th hit by pitch of the year.
NJCU regained a 5-4 lead in the seventh when Mackow raced home after a fielding error. However, the Knights were caught in another rundown to end the inning. In the eighth inning, Decibus singled with two outs, stole second, and scored when Sumner lined a double into the rightfield corner for a 6-4 lead, before the Raiders prevailed in the decisive bottom portion of the inning.
NJCU will open its 2007 home NJAC schedule on Saturday, March 31 at 11:30 am when it hosts William Paterson University in a doubleheader at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. Newark is in action at the same time against Richard Stockton College in Pomona, NJ.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
