New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE
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LEESBURG, FL…Any time a team commits six errors in a game, its chances to win dwindle, but when that opponent is a defending conference champion, the outcome may be bleak. Despite scoring six runs and notching 10 hits, New Jersey City University committed six errors, which directly led to scoring for Keystone College, which collected six runs in the third inning and defeated the Gothic Knights, 13-6, at the Russ Matt/Central Florida College Spring Break Invitational, at Pat Thomas Stadium.

 

Keystone, the 2008 North Eastern Athletic Conference champions, prior to moving to the Colonial States Athletic Conference, improved to 7-1 with the win, while NJCU dropped to 6-4-1 and 5-3-1 on the spring trip.

 

In defeat, four NJCU players had standout offensive performances, led by sophomore shortstop TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata) who was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Senior center fielder MARK HOYER (Irvine, CA/Woodbridge (CA) added two runs and one RBI while going 2-for-5 and freshman leftfielder ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Junior catcher ALEX MENA (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) went 2-for-4.

The Giants were led by junior center fielder Ray Jackson (Lewes, DE/Cape Henloten) in a 4-for-5, two-run, two-RBI afternoon while senior left fielder Drew Boandl (Moscow, PA/Western Wayne) had three RBIs and went 2-for-2. Freshman second baseman Esteban Meletiche (Philadelphia, PA/Frankford) scored three times in a 2-for-4 effort.

 

Also for Keystone, junior catcher Angel Fargas (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Puerto Rico Baseball Academy) was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs while senior right fielder Jayson Rohena (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Casiano Cepeda) had two RBIs. Senior third baseman Kyle Conrad (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) and senior first baseman Ben Fish (Muncy, PA/Muncy) each had two hits.

 

Junior lefthander Mike Hanley (South Plainfield, NJ/Bishop George Ahr) pitched 6.2 innings for the win (1-0), allowing three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.

 

NJCU junior left-hander CHRIS SMITH (Linden, NJ/Rahway) fell to 1-1 on the year without allowing an earned run. In 2.2 innings he allowed seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks, but all seven runs he surrendered were directly the result of errors; he committed two of them on throwing attempts.

Freshman right-hander NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) pitched the final 5.1 innings in relief. He struck out five, walked two, and allowed six runs on nine hits.

 

NJCU opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Burke ripped a double down the left field line to score Hoyer and freshman first baseman JOE STEINBERGER (San Diego, CA/San Diego), who walked on four pitches. Keystone cut it to one in the second, scoring on a passed ball.

 

But the bottom of the third proved to be the difference as the Giants scored six unearned runs. Two throwing errors and a walk pushed in the tying run and placed runners on second and third with one out. An RBI single by Jackson put Keystone ahead to stay before another run scored on a muffed throw. A bunt RBI single by Fargas made it 5-2 before Rohena had an RBI double and scored on an RBI triple by Conrad as the Giants opened a 7-2 advantage. Boandl added an RBI single in the fifth (8-2) before Gonzalez had an RBI single in the seventh, making it 8-3.

 

But after NJCU rallied from seven runs down on Wednesday in an 11-10 dramatic win over Curry, the Giants made sure a comeback was not in the future in this game as Boandl lofted a two-run triple into the right field corner before scoring on a groundout by Rohena. A gorgeous diving catch by Gonzalez along the left field line ended the inning, but Keystone led 11-3. Jackson and Fargas padded the lead (13-3) with RBI singles in the eighth.

 

NJCU scored three runs on four hits in the ninth, stranding two runners, but couldn't piece together another rally. Hoyer had an RBI double and Burke scorched a two-run single in the inning.

 

NJCU closes its 2009 spring trip on Friday, March 13 at 9 a.m. against Thomas More College (KY) in Winter Haven, FL.