New Jersey City University Athletics

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Senior shortstop JOSE FULGENCIO (Bronx, NY/San Rafael (Dominican Republic) made New Jersey City University winners with a walkoff single in game one, while the Knights put game two away early with a six-run first inning, as NJCU swept a non-conference doubleheader from College of Mount Saint Vincent, 3-2 and 13-6, Monday at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.

 

NJCU wins its third straight to improve to 7-10, and is now 5-0 all-time against the Dolphins. CMSV (4-6) dropped its fourth straight. The doubleheader was NJCU’s first scheduled home games of the 2008 season.

 

Fulgencio was a combined 3-for-7 with three RBIs in the doubleheader. He has now reached base in 53 of 54 career games, and has hit safely in 43 of 44 contests.

 

*************GAME 1: New Jersey City University 3, Mount Saint Vincent 2*************

NJCU had six hits in game one, and all came from its first three batters in the lineup. Junior leftfielder MARK HOYER (Irvine, CA/Woodbridge (CA) was 2-for-4 with one run, and senior second baseman ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) extended his streak of consecutive at-bats with a hit to seven, before it was snapped in a 2-for-3, one-run showing. Fulgencio was 2-for-4 with the walk-off RBI.

 

CMSV outhit NJCU, 7-6 but had just one player with multiple hits as junior shortstop Josh Cuozzo (Westbury, NJ/Clarke) finished 2-for-3.

 

NJCU freshman right-hander WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial), who earlier in the day picked up New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Week accolades, earned his second win in a week to improve to 2-1. In a complete-game seven-inning performance, he allowed just one earned run and seven hits (six singles) with four strikeouts and one walk over 101 pitches.

 

Senior left-hander Anthony Palandro (Westbury, NY/Clarke) left the game with a lead but took a no-decision. He allowed one run and four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Senior righty Jon O’Leary (Bohemia, NY/Connetquot) took the loss in 1.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs, with two hits, one walk and one K.

 

CMSV took a 1-0 lead in the first when senior centerfielder Eddie Park (East Meadow, NY/Clarke) singled, advanced to second on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch. NJCU tied it in the third when Decibus led off with a single, stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman third baseman TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata). CMSV regained a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI single by senior catcher Logan Mauzy (Homer, NY/Homer Central).

 

NJCU, which left seven runners on base in the first four innings, took advantage of a Dolphin mistake in the sixth to tie it. Burke led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and third on a fly out. With two outs, O’Leary attempted to pick Burke off third, but the throw got away and the NJCU rookie crossed the plate with the tying run.

 

After CMSV failed to score in the top of the seventh, Hoyer led off the bottom of the inning with a 380-foot double to centerfield, and advanced to third on a sac bunt by Decibus. With the infield drawn in, Fulgencio drove the first pitch through the right side for the winning margin.

 

 *************GAME 2: New Jersey City University 13, Mount Saint Vincent 6*************

In game two, each team collected 10 hits, but NJCU took advantage of four CMSV errors and made leads of 6-0, 9-1 and 13-2 stand up.

 

After not playing in the opener, two players combined for five RBIs. Senior right/centerfielder ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run while junior first baseman JOSE COLON (Brooklyn, NY/LaSalle Academy) was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.

 

Fulgencio added a 1-for-2 effort with two RBIs and two runs. Burke scored three times and walked twice in a 1-for-2 game. Hoyer contributed two RBIs, going 1-for-2 with a run.

 

Senior third baseman Nick Canzano (Farmington, CT/Victor) was 3-for-4 for CMSV. Freshman first baseman Michael Pope (Massapequa, NY/St. John the Baptist) was 1-for-3 with two RBIs while senior designated hitter Al Schor (Norwalk, CT/McMahon) finished 2-for-4.

 

NJCU sophomore lefty CHRIS SMITH (Linden, NJ/Rahway) collected his first win as a member of the club. In 5.0 innings, he allowed just one run on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Freshman righty Mike Trainor (Patterson, NY/Brewster) took the loss for CMSV, allowing four earned runs and five hits in 1.2 innings.

 

In the first, NJCU scored six times as 11 Knights came to the plate. Fulgencio had a 400-plus-foot triple to straightaway center to score Hoyer and Decibus, before coming in on a sac fly. With two outs and NJCU leading, 3-0, the inning was extended on a catcher’s interference call. Mackow made it 4-0 with an RBI single before Hoyer tagged on two more runs with a single.

 

NJCU added a single run in the second on a Burke RBI single. The hosts led 9-1 after collecting two more runs in the fifth as Mackow had an RBI infield single, stole second, and scored on an error.

 

NJCU tacked on four runs in the sixth for a 13-2 lead as Colon had a two-run single, and Mackow added another RBI with a groundout, before Colon eventually came around on an error. The Dolphins scored four of their six runs in the seventh, including two on an RBI double by Pope.

 

NJCU will open its 2008 NJAC schedule on Thursday, March 27 at 3 p.m. when it hosts Rutgers-Newark. CMSV is at Western Connecticut State that day at 3:30 p.m.