New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE: GAME 1 | GAME 2
BASEBALL RECORD BOOK: 100-HIT CLUB ANALYSIS

POMONA, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University junior third baseman MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) notched four hits in a doubleheader against Richard Stockton College to become the 33^rd player in the 63-year history of the Gothic Knight baseball program to record 100 career hits, becoming the fourth NJCU player to reach the milestone this season and the second in as many days, but Stockton swept a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader, 10-3 and 9-6 on April 24.

 

NJCU, which swept Stockton last season, drops to 13-21 (2-13 NJAC) while the Ospreys picked up two important wins, improving to 17-15 overall and 7-5 in the NJAC. The two conference wins moves Stockton into sixth place in the league standings and in position to qualify for the six-team NJAC double-elimination tournament.

 

Fiorentino's 100^th hit, coupled with senior catcher/designated hitter ALEX MENA (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) and sophomore left fielder/second baseman ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) reaching the milestone earlier this season and junior shortstop TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata) accomplishing the feat yesterday, gives NJCU four players to have notched their 100th career hit during the same season for only the second time in school history. In 2004, current NJCU head coach JONATHAN THOMAS, along with teammates Pat Moore, Denis Peguero and Steve Stiller all picked up their 100^th hit.

 

Fiorentino, in his second year at NJCU, becomes just the eighth player in NJCU history to record 100 hits in two seasons, doing so in his 72^nd career game.

 

Fiorentino was 4-for-9 with three RBIs and two runs on the day. Gonzalez was 4-for-8 in the doubleheader while Burke was a combined 4-for-8 with two runs and two RBIs. Gonzalez matched Mena with 118 career hits and Burke now has 104. Gonzalez collected his third consecutive multiple hit game and now has 20 multi-hit games this year. He leads the NJAC with 56 hits.

 

For Stockton, sophomore designated hitter Marc Asta (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) and senior shortstop Matt Allen (Salem, NJ/ Woodstown) each had five hits each in the sweep with Asta driving in seven runs on the day.

 

******GAME 1: RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE 10, NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 3******

In the first game, the Ospreys exploded for seven runs in the first inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and cruised to the 10-3 win. Down 8-0, NJCU scored twice in the second inning and once in the ninth; Stockton added two runs in the sixth.

 

For NJCU, Burke was 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and his 10^th double of the season. He now has 26 career doubles—three shy of equaling the career program mark. Gonzalez was 2-for-4 and freshman second baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) added a 2-for-4 effort. Fiorentino was 1-for-4 with a run.

 

Stockton, which outhit NJCU, 14-10, had five players tally multiple hits. Freshman leftfielder Barry Larro (Cedarville, NJ/Cumberland) was 3-for-5 with a run and RBI. Asta was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run while Allen scored twice, batting 2-for-4. Sophomore catcher Nick Scalise (Northfield, NJ/Mainland) went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Junior second baseman Jason Gordon (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) added two hits and sophomore rightfielder Dan McGuckin (Sicklerville/Winslow Township) drove in two runs.

 

Freshman right-hander Gage Mick (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland) used the seven-run lead to his advantage, going 7.0 innings for his first collegiate win (1-0). He allowed two earned runs and eight hits, striking out six against two walks.

 

Sophomore righty NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City) took the loss (1-6), allowing seven earned runs and eight hits with one K and four walks. Junior righty WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial) finished off the final 5.0 innings, allowing just two runs and six hits, with four strikeouts and two walks.

******GAME 2: RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE 9, NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 6******

Game two was more competitive and demonstrated timely hits for Stockton, which built a 3-0 lead through four innings. After a single run by the Knights in the fifth, RSC added on two more in the bottom of the sixth for a 5-1 advantage. NJCU fought back with two runs in the seventh, trimming the deficit to 5-3. But the Ospreys received three runs in the eighth inning after tacking on one in the seventh to claim a 9-3 margin. On April 23, NJCU bounced back from a six-run deficit against Rutgers-Newark to win, but Stockton prevented a similar comeback bid, as NJCU produced three runs ninth-inning runs, before falling 9-6.

 

NJCU outhit Stockton, 12-10, but stranded nine runners on base compared to three by the hosts. The top three batters in the NJCU lineup were responsible for nine of the 12 hits.

 

Fiorentino was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run. Junior centerfielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional), who had his team season-high 13-game hitting streak snapped in game one, started a new streak by batting 3-for-5 with two runs, one RBI and his 13^th double of the year, giving him 55 total hits. Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with two runs. Burke, who hit fifth as the designated hitter, added two hits.

 

Asta led the Ospreys with five RBIs, finishing 3-for-4 with three doubles. Allen hit his first homerun of the year, added a triple, scored three times and drove in two RBIs in a 3-for-4 effort. McGuckin had two hits. Sophomore first baseman Mike Wasco (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) and freshman leftfielder Gerard Heininger (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) each scored twice.

 

Senior righty Joe Mihalyi (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) picked up the win (3-1), pitching the first seven innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) and nine hits with four strikeouts. Junior righty John Lightbody (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) allowed three runs and three hits over the final two innings.

 

NJCU used four pitchers. Sophomore righty THOMAS VERMAZEN (San Diego, CA/Point Loma) pitched well enough to win in a starting role, but took the loss (0-6). He allowed five runs and six hits with one walk and one strikeout over 6.0 innings.

 

In the second inning, Allen tripled and scored on an Asta groundout. Two runs crossed in the fourth on Allen's two-out round-tripper. Fiorentino made it 3-1 with a fifth inning single before Stockton extended the lead in the sixth on a timely two-out, two-run double by Asta.

 

In the seventh inning, Bustillo and Witte singled before Fiorentino knocked in a run with his 99^th career hit and a sacrifice fly by sophomorecatcher FRANCISCO RAMIREZ (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) made it 5-3.

 

A seventh inning Osprey sacrifice fly extended the cushion to 6-3 before Asta knocked in the eventual winning runs with another two-run double. Stockton's ninth run was a sac fly that allowed Asta to score.

 

NJCU made a comeback bid in the ninth as Gonzalez singled, Witte doubled for an RBI and Fiorentino followed with an RBI double to right center for his 100^th career hit. A groundout by Burke knocked in Fiorentino with the sixth run, but the Knights couldn't add another.

 

NJCU will return to action on Tuesday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. when it hosts Baruch College in a non-conference game at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.