, second baseman CHRISTOPHER MIRABILE (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan), designated hitter/first baseman JORDAN TETRICK (Delray Beach, FL/Radnor (Pa.)) and center fielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional).
**************GAME 1: RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE 4, NEW JERSEY CITY 1**************
In game one sophomore right-hander Gage Mick (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland) tossed eight and 2/3 innings of four-hit baseball as Stockton edged NJCU, 4-1. He entered the ninth inning having allowed two hits in a shutout bid before the Knights attempted a late rally. Overall he tossed 102 pitches, allowing one run with two strikeouts and two walks.
Senior right-handed closer John Lightbody (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East), who entered with an NCAA Division III leading 12 saves, struck out Gutierrez to end the game and record his 13th save, needing just five pitches.
Karczewski (0-6) pitched well enough to win in his final career start. In a complete-game nine-inning, 112-pitch performance, he struck out two and walked none, while allowing three earned runs and 12 hits, including 11 singles.
Stockton junior designated hitter Marc Asta (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and freshman center fielder Mike Bush (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern) scored twice while batting 2-for-4. Junior right fielder Dan McGuckin (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) added two hits and one run.
Junior catcher FRANCISCO RAMIREZ (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had NJCU's lone RBI while producing his 11th double of the season and 25th of his two-year career.
After four scoreless innings, Stockton grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Bush led off with a single and stole second. He narrowly avoided being caught in a rundown between second and third to remain alive. Freshman catcher Matt Cann (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) ripped a line drive to center before Witte sprinted in and made a sliding catch to prevent a run. But with one out senior second baseman Jason Gordon (Brick Township, NJ/Brick Memorial) singled to right field to make it 1-0. Karczewski then coerced Asta to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth Gutierrez ripped a double down the right field line before Mick forced two infield pop flies to keep NJCU off the board.
In the sixth, sophomore third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) made a brilliant defensive play, knocking down a scorching liner out of the air at third by junior first baseman Mike Wasco (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) before recovering to make the throw in time at first. All three outs in the inning were grounders to third as Karczewski continued to throw well. In the bottom of the sixth, Bustillo and Mirabile walked but NJCU stranded both runners.
In the seventh, Stockton scored the eventual winning run as McGuckin led off with a single before a throwing error on a potential double play put runners on the corners. The Ospreys dropped down a bunt and an out was recorded at second base on a fielder's choice. But on the throw to second, McGuckin sprinted home from third and slid in safely for a 2-0 lead just as the tag was being applied at the plate on the relay throw from second.
In the eighth, six-time NJAC Rookie Hitter of the Week and freshman third baseman Travis Marra (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Wasco singled with one out, before Karczewski got a pair of line drive fly balls to left and center to end the threat.
Then in the ninth, sophomore Barry Larro (Cedarville, NJ/Cumberland) and Bush had a pair of infield hits in the ninth to open the frame before Asta lined a double into the left field corner, doubling the lead to 4-0.
Mick allowed just two hits in the first eight and two-thirds innings before Witte singled up the middle with two outs and scored on a double over the right fielder's head by Ramirez to break up the shutout before Lightbody entered a struck out Gutierrez for the save.
**************GAME 2: NEW JERSEY CITY 3, RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE 2**************
Lopez had never defeated an NJAC opponent during his four-year Gothic Knight career but guaranteed at least one by winning his first game of the season (1-3) in a complete-game, nine-inning, 113-pitch outing. He struck out three, walked two and allowed just two earned runs and eight hits, including seven singles while receiving a brilliant defensive performance behind him.
NJCU led 1-0 in the game before Stockton tallied single runs in the second and fifth innings for a one-run margin. NJCU chipped away at the Ospreys before scoring a pair of unearned runs in the seventh and Lopez made the 3-2 lead hold up, facing the minimum six batters in the final two innings.
Junior shortstop ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) was 2-for-4 with an RBI, run and his 23rd stolen base of the season. He upped his three-year hits total to 176, now just 20 hits shy of NJCU's all-time program record of 196.
Gutierrez was 2-for-4 while Witte went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Tetrick scored once with a hit. Bustillo also was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Gordon, Stockton's leadoff hitter, went 3-for-4 with one RBI. McGuckin and Bush each had a hit and run scored.
In the opening inning, Gonzalez and Mirabile led off with singles before Gonzalez, who stole second base, scored on an RBI single by Witte, the third straight Gothic Knight single in the inning, to make it 1-0.
After two leadoff strikeouts in the second inning McGuckin walked and moved to third on a single by Larra. When Larra took off for a steal of second he stopped halfway along the basepath, as NJCU attempted to tag him out in a rundown. But McGuckin made a heads-up base-running play, taking off for home plate and scoring before Mirabile could apply the inning-ending tag to Larra. The run stood and Stockton tied it at 1-1.
A great, leaping defensive play to snare a line drive by Wasco for an unassisted double play kept NJCU off the board in the third and the game knotted at 1-1.
Stockton gained a 2-1 lead in the fifth as Bush doubled down the left field line with one out and scored on a suicide squeeze by Cann, who would reach on the bunt single. Lopez was able to get out of the inning, stranding two runners.
In the seventh Stockton had two fly outs and a walk before Gordon singled to right. A throw to third that nearly ended the inning gave Stockton two runners in scoring position before Lopez fanned Asta on a wicked inside curve ball to end the frame.
That led to the bottom of the seventh. All season opponents have taken advantage of errors by NJCU and in the final home game of the season, the Knights capitalized themselves. With one out, Fiorentino reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and Tetrick sent a grounder to second which was mishandled with Fiorentino sprinting to second. Rivera came up and worked a walk on a 3-2 count. Bustillo punched a fly ball to right center that fell in front of a diving Bush, tying the game. Gonzalez slapped the next pitch up the middle. The second baseman, Gordon, made a diving stop to prevent two runs from scoring but Gonzalez beat the throw to first to prevent a double play and Tetrick scored as NJCU went ahead, 3-2.
Lopez spread the ball around the infield in the eighth, coercing groundouts to short, second and third in a 1-2-3 inning. Then in the ninth, Stockton had a leadoff single. In a flashy show of leather, Mirabile made an impressive stab of a ball up the middle, flicked an underhanded glove scoop pass to second and Gonzalez fired to first to complete the highlight. A groundball to shortstop ended the contest.
NJCU's seniors celebrated Senior Day and their game two victory in a unique and memorable way, going for a swim in Newark Bay on the final weekend of their collegiate careers.
NJCU will play one final game to conclude the 2011 season on Tuesday, May 3 at 3:30 p.m. against Centenary College at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ. Stockton hosts Montclair State University in a doubleheader on May 1 in its final games.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
GAME 1: Saturday, April 30, 2011 | Jersey City, NJ
|
|
Richard Stockton College (19-14, 5-10 NJAC)
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
12
|
0
|
|
New Jersey City University (8-28, 3-14 NJAC)
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
|
|
|
GAME 2: Saturday, April 30, 2011 | Jersey City, NJ
|
|
Richard Stockton College (19-15, 5-11 NJAC)
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
8
|
2
|
|
New Jersey City University (9-28, 4-14 NJAC)
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
X
|
3
|
8
|
0
|
|
|
