NJCU, which has won three of the last four meetings with the Ospreys, improved to 10-11-1 overall and 2-1 in the NJAC while snapping Stockton's six-game winning streak. Stockton, which had won nine of its last 10 games, including a victory over former #1 ranked Salisbury University, dropped to 11-5 and 0-2 in the league. Stockton leads the known all-time series, 18-16, since 1977.
Fiorentino was a combined 4-for-7 with five RBIs in the doubleheader while freshman leftfielder
ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) scored four runs and had two RBIs while hitting 5-for-8 in the twinbill.
Gonzalez, Fiorentino and
Hoyer did much of the heavy lifting at the top of the lineup as the trio combined for 12 of NJCU's 24 hits and 10 of 16 RBIs in the doubleheader. It was sparked by a slight change in the lineup by head coach
ERIC ALVAREZ. For the previous six games,
Hoyer had hit second followed by
Fiorentino before they switched spots in the lineup for the first time during Saturday's action.
*********GAME 1: New Jersey City University 5, Richard Stockton College 3********
In game one, NJCU led 2-0 with single runs in the second and third innings before Stockton scored three times in the sixth for a 3-2 lead. But senior catcher
KRISTOPHER BRUS (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) had a game-tying RBI double to left with two outs in the sixth to tie it at 3-3 before
Fiorentino drove a 3-1 pitch up the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 5-3 advantage, which the Gothic Knight bullpen held.
Freshman right-hander
NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) earned his first collegiate win in relief (1-1). He tossed 2.0 innings of no-hit baseball, with one strikeout over just 23 pitches. Junior righty
JOSEPH TARALLO (South Amboy, NJ/Hoffman) extended his single-season and career program records by notching his sixth save in eight chances this year in the ninth inning. He struck out one, allowing a hit and walk before retiring standout Stockton senior
Scott Fisher (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) with a fly ball to center, to seal it.
Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with two runs and Fiorentino was 2-for-3 with the two RBIs. Hoyer and Brus each drove in a run and scored.
In defeat, Stockton freshman third baseman/catcher Chris Wedding (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and junior right fielder Jay Merulla (Logan Township, NJ/Kingsway) was 2-for-3. Fisher had a double and walked twice.
NJCU opened the scoring with a leadoff double in the second inning by sophomore shortstop
TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata) before he scored on a sac fly by freshman first baseman
JOE STEINBERGER (San Diego, CA/San Diego). With two outs in the third,
Gonzalez drew a walk, advanced on a
Fiorentino single and scored on a
Hoyer RBI single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.
NJCU's strategy paid off in the top of the third inning when Fisher who entered the doubleheader with a .569 average (29-51) was walked intentionally before junior left-hander/designated hitter Matt Hunt (Medford, NJ/St. Joseph) flew out to left, stranding two runners.
Stockton finally broke through in the sixth inning, scoring three times on three hits to grab a 3-2 lead. Merulla had an RBI single before Wedding flipped a two-run single into right field.
NJCU immediately tied it in the bottom of the inning as
Hoyer walked and scored on
Brus' double. In the seventh, senior second baseman
JORGE PARDO (West New York, NJ/Memorial) drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch,
Gonzalez had a bunt single, and both scored when
Fiorentino singled up the middle.
RSC had a baserunner in the eighth after an NJCU error, but Maldonado coaxed a foul out to end the threat. With the tying runs on base in the ninth, Tarallo forced Fisher, the 2008 New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Division II/III Player of the Year, to fly out on a 3-2 pitch to win it.
Junior right-hander
STEPHEN MONTALBANO (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop George Ahr) pitched well enough to win, allowing just three runs and six hits with three strikeouts and four walks in 6.0 innings, but received a no-decision.
Hunt took the loss (1-1), allowing five runs and seven hits with six strikeouts and five walks.
*********GAME 2: New Jersey City University 12, Richard Stockton College 9********
In game two, Stockton vaulted out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning before NJCU cut that lead in half in the bottom of the frame, 6-3. The Osprey lead expanded to 7-3 before the Knights scored six in the fourth and one in the fifth for a 10-7 margin. Stockton made it a one-run game with two runs in the top of the seventh, before NJCU plated two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth for a 12-9 victory.
Fiorentino was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run and
Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.
Hoyer added a 2-for-4 showing and one run with his two RBIs while
Brus was 3-for-3 with a run, RBI and walk.
Pardo finished 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a triple. Sophomore designated hitter
DOM GHIONE (Lyndhurst, NJ/Queen of Peace), making only his second start of the year, contributed two runs.
Freshman righty
THOMAS VERMAZEN (San Diego, CA/Point Loma) was splendid in long relief, and earned his second collegiate win while improving to 2-0 as he tossed 4.1 innings, allowing no earned runs (two overall) and five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Sophomore righty
WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial) had one strikeout in 0.2 innings and set up senior righty
STEVE HALLAM (Harrison, NJ/Harrison), who earned his second career save with 2.0 innings of brilliant relief, with one strikeout and only one hit against.
Fisher was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run while freshman third baseman Marc Asta (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) went 3-for-4 with a run. Merulla chipped in two runs in a 3-for-5 showing and Wedding had two RBIs, going 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Each team used five pitchers and freshman righty Bill Hauer (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern) took the loss for Stockton (0-1). Entering in relief in the first inning, he threw 2.2 innings, allowing five runs and five hits with two K's and a walk.
In the second, the Ospreys sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring six times on just four hits.
Fisher had a
two-run double, his 10
th of the year, in the inning, before the sixth run came in on a wild pitch.
NJCU got three runs back in the bottom of the inning when Gonzalez had a two-run single to left, before scoring on a throwing error. NJCU won despite committing four errors in the game; Stockton had two. Wedding made it 7-3 in the top of the third with a double down the right field line.
But the game-changing inning was the fourth as 10 Gothic Knight batters combined for seven hits and six runs. Ghione, Pardo and Gonzalez all singled to load the bases before Fiorentino laced a two-RBI double to left field and Hoyer hit the very next pitch to deep center for another double and two more runs as NJCU tied it at 7-7. Still with no outs, Burke singled to left field, scoring Hoyer with the go-ahead run. Brus lifted a sac fly to center to score Burke for a 9-7 lead.
In the fifth, Pardo drew another walk on a 3-2 pitch and Gonzalez followed with a bunt single. Pardo never stopped, sprinting all the way to third on the play and scored on a sac bunt by Fiorentino with the eventual winning run and a 10-7 cushion.
Stockton drew within one in the seventh, scoring twice, aided by a pair of NJCU errors. Asta and Merulla each had RBIs as Stockton cut it to 10-9. But in the eighth, Steinberger singled, Brus walked and both scored when Pardo ripped a triple to right field for a 12-9 edge.
In the ninth inning, Hallam fanned Fisher, forced Hunt, who entered the afternoon with a .529 average (27-51) into a weak groundout before snagging a grounder by Merulla back to the mound to seal it.
NJCU will return to action on Monday, March 30 at 3:30 p.m. when it visits Rutgers-Newark in a rescheduled NJAC game at Riverfront Stadium. Stockton hosts CCNY at 12:30 p.m. on March 29.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Game 1: Saturday, March 28, 2009 | Jersey City, NJ (Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex)
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Richard Stockton College (11-4, 0-1 NJAC)
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0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
7
|
1
|
|
New Jersey City University (9-11-1, 1-1 NJAC)
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
X
|
5
|
8
|
2
|
|
WP: NELSON MALDONADO (1-1) LP: Matt Hunt (1-1). SV: JOSEPH TARALLO (6)
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Game 2: Saturday, March 28, 2009 | Jersey City, NJ (Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex)
|
|
Richard Stockton College (11-5, 0-2 NJAC)
|
0
|
6
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
11
|
2
|
|
New Jersey City University (10-11-1, 2-1 NJAC)
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
X
|
12
|
16
|
4
|
|
WP: THOMAS VERMAZEN (2-0) LP: Bill Hauer (0-1). SV: STEVE HALLAM (1)
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