New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…In a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest that took 3:50 to play on a frigid day at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex, Montclair State collected a school-record 12 stolen bases and scored two runs in the sixth and eighth innings to open a 5-1 lead, before holding off New Jersey City University, 6-4, on Friday afternoon.

 

Montclair and NJCU each stranded 11 runners on base in a game where the seven pitchers on the two clubs combined for 358 pitches and combined for 20 walks. MSU evens its record at 10-10 overall and improves to 3-2 in the NJAC. The Gothic Knights fall to 10-11 and 1-4 NJAC. The 12 steals for MSU broke the single-game school record of eight set against Ramapo College in 1999.

 

For the Red Hawks, junior catcher Matt Hartwick (Ringwood, NJ/Lakeland) was 3-for-5 with two runs and two stolen bases, while senior leftfielder Andrew Vicaro (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) added a 3-for-4 effort with three steals, one run and one RBI. Sophomore third baseman Eric Johnson (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park) had two RBIs in his only official at bat. Junior second baseman Kevin Cuozzi (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) walked three times and had three steals.

 

In defeat, freshman catcher ALEX MENA (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) was 2-for-3 with two walks, one run and a triple and junior second baseman ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) was 2-for-3 with a double.

 

Junior shortstop JOSE FULGENCIO (Bronx, NY/San Rafael, Dominican Republic) went 1-for-5 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 11 straight.

 

Junior right-hander Tim Stringer (Annandale, NJ/North Hunterdon) earned his first win (1-4), allowing just three hits and one earned run in 6.2 innings, fanning nine while walking seven. Junior righty Marty Cabalar (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany Hills) earned an eight-pitch save, his second of the year, allowing one run and two hits in the ninth inning to preserve the win.

 

Junior righty ANTHONY CACCHIOLA (Union, NJ/Union) limited MSU to one earned run (three total) and five hits with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings, but walked nine batters on the cold day, to take the loss (0-2).

 

The first five innings of the game was a pitchers’ duel, as MSU led 1-0 behind four hits; NJCU had two hits over the first five innings. A Vicaro RBI single in the first inning was the only offense during that span.

 

In the top of the sixth, MSU scored twice on a sacrifice fly by junior shortstop James Scelzo (Staten Island, NY/Petrides) and a ground out by junior centerfielder Michael Nunes (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan), for a 3-0 lead. NJCU cut it to 3-1 when junior third baseman RYAN PELT (Branchville, NJ/High Point Regional) walked, stole second, and scored on a wild pitch.

 

In the eighth, MSU scored two more runs on a two-out, two-RBI single by Johnson to move ahead 5-1. Mena led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and scored on a single by Fulgencio for a 5-2 deficit. The Hawks added a run in the ninth on a squeeze play, making it 6-2.

 

NJCU threatened in the ninth and an RBI double by junior first baseman RUBEN BORGES (Union, NJ/Union) shaved the margin to 6-3 with no outs, before scoring on a ground out. But the Knights hit into a double play before Cabalar forced another grounder to end the game.

 

NJCU is back in action on Saturday, April 7 at 12 p.m. in a home NJAC doubleheader against #13 ranked The College of New Jersey. MSU hosts Rutgers-Camden in an NJAC twinbill at the same time.