NJCU improved to 14-24-1 and 4-14 NJAC while the Scarlet Raptors are 5-13 NJAC and 10-25 overall. The doubleheader featured a combined 38 runs, 50 hits, 16 errors and a senior from each team collecting their 100th career hits, on a night of baseball that nearly lasted until midnight.
Rookie second baseman
ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), sophomore third baseman
MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant) and
Hoyer also become the first three teammates to notch 50 hits in the same season in the history of the program.
****GAME 1: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-CAMDEN 16, NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 11 ****
The Scarlet Raptors roared back from a 9-3 deficit in the opener, aided by a 20-hit attack and nine NJCU errors. Six of them came in a wild sixth inning that included six hits and produced seven unearned runs for Rutgers-Camden. The inning, which started when two of the first three batters reached on errors at third base, brought the Raptors from a 9-6 deficit to a 13-9 lead. The biggest play of the frame was a two-run triple by Raptor junior third baseman Jamie Williams (Vineland, NJ/Delsea Regional), who continued around to score on a throwing error.
NJCU scored twice in the eighth to draw within two runs, 13-11, before the Raptors made sure a comeback wasn't going to happen with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth for the five-run final margin.
Offensively for NJCU, Fiorentino was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs and his first homerun of the year, becoming the eighth different NJCU player to hit a homerun this year. Gonzalez scored three runs and drove in two RBIs, going 2-for-5 while Hoyer, who entered the doubleheader with 99 career hits, blew past the 100-hit plateau by finishing 3-for-5 with a double and RBI.
Also for NJCU, senior right fielder/catcher
KRISTOPHER BRUS (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) was 2-for-5 with a run and junior catcher/designated hitter
ALEX MENA (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) added a 2-for-5 showing with a run and RBI. Senior first baseman
JOSE COLON (Brooklyn, NJ/LaSalle Academy (NY)) hit his NJAC-leading fifth homerun of the year in a conference game, finishing with two RBIs and freshman left fielder
JOE STEINBERGER (San Diego, CA/San Diego) scored twice.
Camden was led by the play of junior center fielder Scott Fruits (Turnersville, NJ/Paul VI)who posted a 4-for-6 game with five RBIs. Williams finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs.
Also for the Raptors, senior second baseman Dean Straga (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional)went 3-for-6 with one run and two RBIs for the Raptors, setting up his milestone 100th hit in the nightcap. Freshman designated hitter Jon Hydock (Medford, NJ/Shawnee)went 3-for-4 with two runs to key the Raptors' 20-hit attack.
Junior shortstop Kyle Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran), junior catcher Greg Hunt (Marlton, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton)and junior first baseman Dan Stuhlemmer (Collingswood, NJ/Camden Catholic) each added two hits for the Raptors; Hunt and Stuhlemmer scored twice. Sophomore leftfielder Dennis Hill (Pilesgrove, NJ/Woodstown) had three runs and two RBIs.
NJCU took a big early lead, aided by a three-run home run by
Fiorentino in the second inning and a two-run homer from
Colon in the third. Each team scored a run in the first inning, before NJCU led 5-3 after two.
By the time Hoyer opened the fourth inning with his milestone 100th career hit, a single to left, the Knights held a 9-3 lead. Gonzalez, who had an RBI single in the second inning, added a third-inning RBI groundout and Mena drove in a run with a double.
Camden cut it to 9-5 in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Fruits and added one run in the fifth on an RBI single by Williams, as the game stood 9-6 entering the fateful bottom of the sixth. In addition to the two-run triple by Williams, Straga and Hill each had RBI singles in the inning as NJCU equaled its game season high for errors—six—in just one inning. The nine errors committed by NJCU were the most since nine were issued in a loss to Montclair State University on April 17, 2008.
After Rutgers-Camden took its 13-9 lead, NJCU crept to within two runs with a pair of eighth-inning tallies as Hoyer had an RBI single and Steinberger added an RBI groundball.
Rutgers-Camden, however, put the game away in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs, sparked by a leadoff double from Ballay while Fruits added a two-run single in the frame.
Raptor sophomore Dan Fimiani (Pittsgrove, NJ/Schalick),the third of five pitchers, picked up the win for his first victory of the season. Fimiani (1-2) hurled 3.2 strong shutout innings to allow the Raptors to climb back from their big deficit. He allowed three hits and one walk, while striking out one.
Burke made just his second career start and was tagged with the loss (0-2) despite allowing only four earned runs. He walked two, struck out one and gave up 11 hits in 5.1 innings.
****GAME 2: NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 7, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-CAMDEN 4 ****
In the second game,
Burke played shortstop and smashed a three-run home run to left field in the top of
the eighth inning, breaking a 4-4 tie and lifting the Gothic Knights to the win. NJCU set the stage with a leadoff walk by
Colonand a single to right field by
Steinberger, before
Burke unloaded his game-winning shot.
NJCU sophomore righty
JEFF KARCZEWSKI (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) earned the win (3-4) by working eight full innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs, with five strikeouts and one walk.
Junior closer
JOSEPH TARALLO (South Amboy, NJ/Hoffman) worked a perfect ninth, striking out all three batters he faced, to extend his NJCU single-season and career record to eight saves.
Burke finished the game 3-for-3 with one run and four RBIs. He also
singled home a run in a two-run second inning to give the Gothic Knights a 2-1 lead. NJCU stretched the margin to 3-1 in the third on a leadoff triple to center by junior center fielder
EDDIE GONZALO (Union City, NJ/Union Hill), one of two triples he had in the game, as he finished 2-for-3 with one run. The Gothic Knights tried to squeeze
Gonzalo home, but he was out at the plate as
Gonzalez reached first. After a double by
Fiorentino,
Gonzalez scored from third on a ground out by
Hoyer.
Fiorentino was 2-for-5 for NJCU and Steinberger went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI while Colon scored twice.
Rutgers-Camden received a 3-for-4 game from Fruits, who added two runs, but he was the only Raptor with multiple hits as Camden was limited to six—14 less than it collected in game one. Fruits was a combined 7-for-10 with five RBIs and three runs in the doubleheader.
Rutgers-Camden plated three runs in the sixth to grab a 4-3 lead, sparked by a one-out single from Fruits,the first of four hits in the frame. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and a throwing error and junior right fielder Steve Myers (Millville, NJ/Millville)was hit by a pitch.
Straga followed with an RBI single to right center for the 100th hit of his Raptor career. He became the 16th player in Camden history to reach the century mark. Huntdelivered a sacrifice fly to plate Myers with the tying run and Williams singled home Straga to give the Raptors a 4-3 lead.
NJCU tied the game in the seventh on a leadoff triple by Gonzalo and a run-scoring ground out by Gonzalez, setting the stage for Burke's winning blast in the eighth.
Raptor senior Damien Wright (Millville, NJ/Millville)took the loss in relief in his last appearance at Rutgers-Camden. He faced two batters, allowing the walk to Colon and the Steinberger single, before being relieved by junior Michael Kondrath (Medford Lakes, NJ/Holy Cross),who allowed the homer to Burke.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Game 1: Saturday, April 25, 2009 | Camden, NJ (Campbell's Field)
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New Jersey City University (13-24-1, 3-14 NJAC)
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1
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4
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4
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0
|
0
|
0
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0
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2
|
0
|
11
|
13
|
9
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Rutgers University-Camden (10-24, 5-12 NJAC)
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1
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2
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0
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2
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1
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7
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0
|
3
|
X
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16
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20
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1
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WP: Dan Fimiani (1-2). LP: TOM BURKE (0-2). HR: N-MICHAEL FIORENTINO (1); JOSE COLON (5).
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Game 2: Saturday, April 25, 2009 | Camden, NJ (Campbell's Field)
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New Jersey City University (14-24-1, 4-14 NJAC)
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0
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2
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1
|
0
|
0
|
0
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1
|
3
|
0
|
7
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11
|
3
|
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Rutgers University-Camden (10-25, 5-13 NJAC)
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1
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0
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0
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0
|
0
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3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
6
|
3
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WP: JEFF KARCZEWSKI (3-4). LP: Damien Wright (1-4). SV: JOSEPH TARALLO (8). HR: N-TOM BURKE (3).
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