BOX SCORE
MAHWAH, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University junior centerfielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional) launched two homeruns and tallied five RBIs while junior first baseman JORDAN TETRICK (Delray Beach, FL/Radnor (Pa.)) added a homerun but Ramapo College scored six runs in the third inning and added three runs in the seventh and eighth frames as the Roadrunners overcame NJCU, 14-8, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game on April 29 at Jeff Maund Field. It was the final scheduled road game of the regular season for NJCU.
With the win, Ramapo improves to 18-14 and 7-8 in the NJAC and with 14 points is just two shy of the final playoff berth for the six-team double elimination NJAC Tournament with three games remaining. NJCU (13-22, 2-14 NJAC) drops its third straight. Ramapo won the season series while defeating NJCU for the fifth straight meeting.
Witte batted 2-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs and also drew a walk while crushing his third and fourth homers of the season. While upping his batting average to .399 with 57 hits, he increased his extra-base hit count to 20—13 doubles, three triples, and the four homers. Now with 42 runs in 35 games, he is four shy of equaling the single-season school record.
Tetrick was 2-for-5 with one run and a solo homerun—his second of the year. Junior right fielder JORGE GUTIERREZ (Sewaren, NJ/Hudson Catholic) batted in the second spot in the lineup for the first time this year and scored twice, in a 1-for-4, one RBI showing, with a triple.
Ramapo was led by sophomore first baseman Dan Moreno (Cranford, NJ/Cranford), who collected four RBIs in a 4-for-4 effort while scoring three runs and doubling twice. Senior third baseman Joey Cacchiola (Union, NJ/Union) was 3-for-5 with three runs, a double and triple. Junior center/leftfielder Nicholas DiGirolamo (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) added three RBIs and two runs with a homerun in a 2-for-5 performance.
In all, RCNJ had five players with multiple hits while outhitting NJCU 17-11. Four players had multi RBIs and four scored two or more runs. Junior second baseman Mark Ruggiero (Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) was 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Freshman leftfielder Michael Hansford (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) contributed two RBIs, batting 2-for-3. Freshman designated hitter Christian Spurr (Warren, NJ/Watchung Hills) had two RBIs.
Junior right-hander Tim Hannes (Allendale, NJ/Northern Highlands) earned the win (3-4) in relief. In 5.0 innings, he allowed four runs and six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Junior righty Antonio Imbimbo (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) earned his first save over the final 1.1 innings, allowing two hits against one strikeout.
NJCU junior righty WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial) dropped to 4-3 overall with the loss, allowing seven runs and nine hits in 2.0 innings, with one strikeout. The Knights used five pitchers in all. NJCU rookie right-hander WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) struck out three and allowed just two runs and three hits with one walk in 4.0 innings of relief.
RCNJ took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Moreno before NJCU claimed a 4-1 lead with four runs in the third inning. Freshman second baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) doubled, Gutierrez walked and Witte drilled a three-run homer over the left field wall for a 3-1 lead. Junior third baseman MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) and senior catcher ALEX MENA (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) walked before junior shortstop TOM BURKE (Edison, NJ/Immaculata) singled for a 4-1 margin.
But Ramapo would answer with six in the bottom of the third for a 7-4 advantage. DiGirolamo had Ramapo's third straight single—an infield hit that scored two runs—before Ruggiero singled to tie it at 4-4. Cacchiola and Moreno doubled with the latter's two-bagger driving in two runs before another double by Spurr scored Moreno.
RCNJ added an insurance run in the fifth on an RBI double by Hansford before NJCU countered in the sixth when Tetrick led off with a solo homerun to right center.
Ramapo, leading 8-5, tallied three runs in the seventh to extend the lead to six. Cacchiola led off with a triple, and scored on an RBI double by Moreno. Hansford added an RBI single before a later run scored on a passed ball.
NJCU attempted to rally in the eighth, plating three runs. With two outs and Tetrick, who singled, the lone man aboard, Gutierrez tripled to right center for one RBI before Witte uncorked his second homer of the day, cutting the deficit to 11-8. NJCU, which had five hits in the inning, followed with two more singles off Imbimbo who entered in relief after the homerun. But he got out of trouble with a groundball as NJCU stranded 11 runners on base on the day.
Ramapo padded its lead in the ninth on a DiGirolamo lead off solo homerun to left center before adding two more runs on a sacrifice fly and an error that would have also resulted in a sac fly. NJCU was unable to mount a ninth-inning comeback.
NJCU will close the 2010 regular season on Saturday, May 1 at 11:30 a.m. when it hosts first-place Rowan University in an NJAC doubleheader at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. It will be Senior Day as the Gothic Knights honor ALEX MENA and outfielder EDDIE GONZALO (Union City, NJ/Union Hill).
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Thursday, April 29, 2010 | Mahwah, NJ
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New Jersey City University (13-22, 2-14 NJAC)
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0
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0
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4
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0
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0
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1
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0
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3
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0
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8
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11
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2
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Ramapo College (18-14, 7-8 NJAC)
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1
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0
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6
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0
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1
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0
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3
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3
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X
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14
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17
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1
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WP: Tim Hannes (3-4). LP: WESTLEY LOPEZ (4-3). SV: Antonio Imbimbo (1). HR: N—KEN WITTE, 2 (3, 4); JORDAN TETRICK (2). R—Nicholas DiGirolamo (1)
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