BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University trailed 5-0 before scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the lead, and an eighth-inning RBI single by junior right fielder JORGE GUTIERREZ (Sewaren, NJ/Hudson Catholic) broke a 6-6 deadlock as the Gothic Knights edged John Jay College, 7-6, in a non-conference game on Sunday at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
NJCU (11-19) won despite stranding 13 runners on base and snapped a seven-game losing streak by defeating John Jay (6-24) for the eighth consecutive meeting since 2002.
Senior catcher ALEX MENA (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) was 2-for-4 with a run scored while Gutierrez and junior first baseman JORDAN TETRICK (Delray Beach, FL/Radnor (Pa.)) each drove in two RBIs in 1-for-4 showings.
The Bloodhounds were led by junior first baseman Wilmer Chavez (Corona, NY/Queens Vocational), going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Senior center fielder Edwin Hernandez (Brooklyn, NY/Murry Bergtraum) and senior left fielder Xavier Perez (Bronx, NY/Manhattan Center) each scored twice.
Junior right-hander WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial) shook off two early shaky innings by shutting down the Bloodhounds in the middle innings, retiring 12 consecutive batters at one point, while holding JJC off the scoreboard in the third through seventh frames. Lopez earned the win, improving to 4-2. In 8.0 innings, he allowed five earned runs and five hits, with three walks and two strikeouts over an efficient 98 pitches.
Freshman righty JIOVANNY AGUIAR (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) earned his first collegiate save, allowing a lone walk and no hits in the ninth inning over 12 pitches.
For John Jay, freshman righty Chris Camacho (Maspeth, NY/H.S. of Applied Communications) threw the first 4.0 innings, allowing one run and five hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
Junior righty Alex Rodriguez (Bronx, NY/Adlai E. Stevenson) gave up five runs—two earned—and three hits in 3.0 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks. Freshman righty Hector Class (Brooklyn, NY/Liberty (FL)), who started the game in right field, pitched the eighth inning and was charged with the loss (0-1), allowing one run and one hit, walking two.
John Jay opened the scoring in the first inning when Hernandez walked, was sacrificed to second and scored on an RBI double by Chavez.
The Bloodhounds added four runs on four hits in the second inning—all after two outs had been recorded—utilizing small ball to generate runs. After a single and steal by freshman shortstop Dennis Lopez (Selden, NY/Newfield), Hernandez singled up the middle for one run. Hernandez followed with a steal of second and scored on an RBI single by freshman second baseman Nick Catalano (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's Boys) to make it 3-0. Perez was hit by a pitch and he and Catalano both came home on a two-run double to right center by Chavez for a 5-0 advantage.
NJCU, which threatened in each of the first four innings, stranding two runners in the first, second and fourth innings, and the bases loaded in the third, finally produced one run in the fourth. With one out, Rivera singled, before stealing second with two outs. Junior center fielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional) singled to make it 5-1.
NJCU finally got the runs it needed in the seventh inning as 10 batters came to the plate. Witte walked before a fly ball off the bat of junior designated hitter MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) was dropped and the error gave NJCU two runners. Mena singled to load the bases and Tetrick, who had been mired in a 3-for-19 slump prior to the at bat, lined a two-run double down the left field line, making it 5-3.
Gutierrez grounded out, driving in Mena, making it a one-run game with one out. Tetrick crossed the plate with the tying run on a ground ball by freshman shortstop CRIS MATIAS (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)). With two outs, Rivera walked for the second time in the game and Matias scored from second base on a single up the middle by Gonzalez, as NJCU claimed a 6-5 lead.
The lead was short-lived as the Bloodhounds tied it in the top of the eighth. Perez led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a throwing error, tying the game at 6-6.
But patience paid off for NJCU in the bottom of the eighth. Class threw 11 consecutive balls to open the inning as Fiorentino and Mena each walked. Sophomore CHRISTOPHER MIRABILE (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) pinch ran and scored the winning run when Gutierrez singled to center field. Aguiar earned the save by retiring Class, Lopez and Catalano in the ninth inning to end the game.
NJCU is back in action on Wednesday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m. in a non-conference game against Drew University in Madison, NJ. The Bloodhounds hosts Yeshiva University that day at 3 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Sunday, April 18, 2010 | Jersey City, NJ
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John Jay College (6-24)
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1
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4
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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1
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0
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6
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5
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1
|
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New Jersey City University (11-19)
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0
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0
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0
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1
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0
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0
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5
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1
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X
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7
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9
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1
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WP: WESTLEY LOPEZ (4-2). LP: Hector Class (0-1). SV: JIOVANNY AGUIAR (1).
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