New Jersey City University Athletics

 

NEWARK, NJ…Senior centerfielder ROB SUMNER (Union, NJ/Union) drilled his 15^th career homerun and shortstop JOSE FULGENCIO (Bronx, NY/San Rafael (Dominican Republic) followed with a two-run homer as part of his five-RBI effort as New Jersey City University scored six times in the eighth inning to rally from a four-run deficit to seize an 11-9 lead in the eighth inning. But Rutgers-Newark took advantage of a line drive lost in the sun and an infield single by freshman centerfielder Matt Citro (Bloomsbury, NJ/Phillipsburg) in the bottom of the eighth and rallied for a 12-11 win over NJCU on Thursday in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

 

The Scarlet Raiders (18-16-1, NJAC 7-8), who won the first meeting of the year in Jersey City on March 27, 18-7, remaining alive for one of six NJAC Tournament berths with three games remaining. NJCU fell to 10-25 and 2-13 NJAC. NJCU outhit the Raiders, 14-12—the ninth time this season the Knights have lost a game where they have outhit an opponent.

               

Fulgencio went 4-for-5 with five RBIs, two runs and his fourth homerun of the season and seventh over the last two years, while increasing his two-year RBI count to 77. The five RBIs were a career-high and marked his seventh career game of three or more ribbies.

 

Sumner was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs and two walks. He increased his all-time program record to 189 hits with five games remaining and played in his 133^rd career game—one shy of the career program mark of 134 by Nick Cucinello (1990-93). It was his 22^nd career multiple RBI game.

               

Also for NJCU, freshman third baseman TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata) was 2-for-5 with two runs and junior leftfielder MARK HOYER (Irvine, CA/Woodbridge (CA)) contributed a 2-for-5 showing. Senior second baseman ANDREW DECIBUS (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) scored twice.

               

Three players had three RBIs for the Raiders. Senior first baseman Dan Zika (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs and a homerun. Freshman shortstop Patrick Reitemeyer (Kearny, NJ/St. Mary’s-Rutherford) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run and sophomore third baseman Joe Furnaguera (Springfield, NJ/Jonathan Dayton) drove in three more, going 2-for-4. Citro, who came on as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.

               

In a game where there were four lead changes, NJCU struck first with two in the opening inning on RBI singles by Fulgencio and junior catcher KRISTOPHER BRUS (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial). Newark scored three time sin the bottom of the frame on a three-run homer to left by Zika for a 3-2 margin.

 

The Raiders tacked on three more runs in the home third behind a two-run single by Furnaguera before an RBI single by Reitemeyer capped the inning. NJCU answered with three in the top of the fourth to draw within one run, 6-5. Burke singled and Sumner walked, and both players scored on a two-run single by Fulgencio. Decibus walked and later scored on a wild pitch with two outs.

 

The Raiders added a run in the fifth on an RBI single by Furnaguera, and scored two more in the bottom of the seventh on a pinch-hit RBI double by Citro, before scoring on a single by junior rightfielder Brian Gill (Manasquan, NJ/Wall), staking R-N to a 9-5 advantage.

 

NJCU’s bats came alive in the eighth for six runs. With one out, Burke and senior rightfielder ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) each singled before Sumner uncorked a three-run ROB SUMNER" src="/images/baseball/2008/4/25/3-14-07%20Rob%20Sumner%206.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>bomb to left field, cutting the deficit to 9-8. Decibus followed with a double, bringing up Fulgencio, the No. 3 batter in the lineup, who drilled a two-run homer to center, giving NJCU a 10-9 lead. Hoyer singled—NJCU’s sixth consecutive hit of the inning—and stole second. After NJCU made its second out to end the consecutive hit string, sophomore designated hitter JOSUE MARTINEZ (Bronx, NY/Walton (NY)), who like Citro entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, had an RBI single that scored Hoyer for an 11-9 cushion.

 

But R-N reclaimed the lead with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. With one out senior leftfielder Doug Ford (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) tripled to right and Furnaguera walked to put runners on the corners. A strikeout put two away bringing Reitemeyer to the plate. The rookie hit a line drive to centerfield which could have ended the inning. But Sumner lost it in the setting sun, and when the ball rolled all the way to the centerfield wall, the game was tied at 11-11, as Reitemeyer reached third with a triple. A slow roller up the middle by Citro on the next play was handled cleanly by a hustling Fulgencio, but he beat the throw to first for an infield single, bringing home Reitemeyer with the go-ahead and eventual winning run.

 

Sophomore reliever Michael Hansen (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus), who allowed NJCU’s 11^th run in the eighth inning, settled down in the ninth, retiring the Knights in order to end the game. He earned the win (3-1), striking out three versus no walks, while allowing two runs and three hits in 1.2 innings. Sophomore righty Dan Nodarse (Rutherford, NJ/Rutherford) had seven strikeouts in a six inning no-decision.

 

Senior right-hander ANTHONY CACCHIOLA (Union, NJ/Union), this week’s NJAC Pitcher of the Week, was the hard-luck loser in a game he could have easily won if not for the effects of the sun. He dropped to 2-3, allowing the three eighth inning runs, despite three strikeouts. Junior righty STEVE HALLAM (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) pitched 2.2 innings, with three strikeouts. It was his 18^th appearance of the year, matching the single-season record first achieved by Jack Nagurka in 1985.

 

NJCU plays its final road NJAC game of the season on Friday, April 25 at Montclair State University.