New Jersey City University Athletics

 

BRONX, NY…Junior shortstop JOSE FULGENCIO (Bronx, NY/San Rafael, Dominican Republic) batted 4-for-4 with five RBIs, two doubles and one run to extend his hitting streak to 15 consecutive games, and four Gothic Knight pitchers combined for a 10-strikeout, three-hit shutout as New Jersey City University crushed Lehman College, 16-0, in a non-conference baseball game on Tuesday at Lightning Field.

 

NJCU, which had 17 hits overall and six players with multiple hits, improved to 12-13 overall. Lehman fell to 2-10.

 

Fulgencio, who also stole his 16^th base of the year, tied for the team lead with his 32^nd RBI of the season. Junior leftfielder ANTHONY CACCHIOLA (Union, NJ/Union) was 2-for-6 with three RBIs, two runs and two doubles, while junior second baseman ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) added a 2-for-5 effort with two RBIs and two runs. Junior centerfielder ROB SUMNER (Union, NJ/Union) was 1-for-4 with three runs scored, his 32^nd RBI, and two steals, bringing his season total to 18.

 

Also for the Knights, junior catcher AQEEL SHAHID (Harrison, NJ/Harrison), who entered the game 3-for-29 on the season, broke out of the slump with a 2-for-4 showing and two runs, and junior rightfielder ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) was 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI. Junior first baseman RUBEN BORGES (Union, NJ/Union) added a 2-for-5, one-RBI outing.

 

Freshman EDDIE GONZALO (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) posted his first career extra base hit and RBIs when he had a pinch-hit three-run double in NJCU’s seven-run eighth inning.

 

MILTON RODRIGUEZ" src="/images/baseball/2007/4/12/03-30-07%20Milton%20Rodriguez%207.JPG" width=150 align=left border=0>Senior right-handed pitcher MILTON RODRIGUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist), who missed his last start after being cleated on a defensive play on March 30, returned to the rotation in brilliant fashion. In 6.0 innings, he allowed just two singles, with two walks and one strikeout, improving his record to 2-0 while dipping his ERA to 3.04.

 

Three NJCU pitchers pitched one inning of relief, and each struck out three Lightning batters. Junior righty BALDWIN VARGAS (New York, NY/Alfred Smith (NY)) fanned three batters swinging in the seventh inning and did not allow a hit, and junior righty AHSON SHAHID (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) fanned the side in order in the eighth. Junior righty RAMADAN MEHMEDI (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) tossed the ninth inning, fanning three, while allowing one single.

 

NJCU scored the eventual winning run in the first inning, before bolting ahead 7-0 with two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth. Fulgencio had a two-run single in the fifth after Borges singled in NJCU’s first run of the game in the opening inning. Fulgencio then added a two-out, bases-clearing, three-RBI double—his eighth of the year—in the sixth.

 

The Knights added two runs in the seventh before 11 batters came to the plate in the eighth inning, accounting for seven runs. Cacchiola had an RBI double in the seventh before Decibus added a run-producing single. Cacchiola added a two-run double in the eighth. Mackow and Decibus each had RBI singles before Gonzalo’s three-run double capped the scoring.

 

NJCU returns to action on Thursday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. when it hosts Maritime College (NY) at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.