New Jersey City University Athletics

 

BROOKLYN, NY…Junior centerfielder ROB SUMNER (Union, NJ/Union) was 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBIs, two walks, his sixth homerun of the year, and a triple, as New Jersey City University moved back above .500 with a 9-6 victory over John Jay College, in a non-conference game Tuesday at American League Field. The win is the 250^th in the career of NJCU head coach KEN HEATON, now in his 18^th season as skipper of the Gothic Knights.

 

NJCU improves to 10-9 overall, snapping John Jay’s eight-game winning streak. The Bloodhounds (10-6) had scored 98 runs over their last seven games—14 per contest. John Jay lost despite outhitting the Knights, 14-10.

 

Junior shortstop JOSE FULGENCIO (Bronx, NY/San Rafael, Dominican Republic) went 2-for-4 with a double to extend his hitting streak to nine, while junior second baseman ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) added a 2-for-4 effort with two runs.

 

Junior first baseman RUBEN BORGES (Union, NJ/Union) extended his hitting streak to 11 games by going 1-for-4 with one RBI. Rookie designated hitter JOSUE MARTINEZ (Bronx, NY/Walton) was 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning that broke a 2-2 tie and put the Knights in front to stay.

 

Junior right-hander JOSE SOTOMAYOR (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. In six innings, he allowed four runs, 10 hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Senior left-hander MIKE ESPIN (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) shutdown the Bloodhounds in the ninth to earn his second save of the year.

 

For John Jay, senior leftfielder Richard Santana (New York, NY/A. Phillip Randolph) was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while senior first baseman John DeCrescenzo (Brooklyn, NY/Telecommunications) went 1-for-3.

               

Senior third baseman Joseph Ayala (Bronx, NY/St. Raymond’s) was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while senior second baseman James DeCesare (Staten Island/Moore Catholic) went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run.

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NJCU struck first with two runs in the third before a DeCesare RBI single tied it in the bottom of the inning. Martinez’ two-run double in the top of the fourth made it 4-2 and Sumner added to the cushion when he drilled his sixth homer of the year. The shot to right center was the 10^th of his career.

 

In the fifth, RBI singles by Ayala and Santana trimmed NJCU’s lead to 5-4. But the Knights added two more runs in the seventh with an RBI single by junior leftfielder ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) and a Borges sacrifice fly. Trailing 7-4, Santana added an RBI single in the seventh and JJC climbed within 7-6 on a groundout in the eighth.

 

But Sumner made sure NJCU would not be tracked down by the Bloodhounds when he planted an RBI triple to right center, scoring sophomore catcher #FERNANDO ESPINOSA, Jr.# (Newark, NJ/St. Benedict’s Prep), who had doubled. Sumner scored his 25^th run of the year on a groundout.

NJCU is back in action on Thursday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. when it visits Ramapo College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest.