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GROVELAND, FL (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior right-hander NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey (Jersey City)) fired a complete-game four-hitter for his first career shutout and the game ended on a dramatic play at the plate as junior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) hit the relay throw to third baseman JUAN CRUZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) setting up a perfect throw to sophomore catcher MIKE CASIANO (Newark, NJ/North 13^th Street) who applied the game-ending tag as New Jersey City University edged Daniel Webster College, 1-0, in a pitcher's duel to open the 2012 baseball spring trip played at South Lake High School.
 
NJCU won its first game (1-1) and made first-year head coach Jerry Smith a winner for the first time. Daniel Webster (0-1) was making its 2012 debut after winning 20 games in 2011. It was the first meeting between the schools since a 13-5 NJCU win in 2001. The game was the first of eight for NJCU at the Russ Matt College Spring Break Invitational.
 
The 1-0 win was only the second 1-0 victory on record in the 65-year history of the program and the first since defeating Rhode Island College by that score in 1974—38 years ago.
 
Maldonado (1-0), who tossed his third consecutive complete game dating back to wins over Montclair State University (April 27, 2011) and Centenary College (May 3, 2011) to end his junior season, was in complete control, allow just four singles in his nine innings and 73 of his 104 pitches went for strikes. He struck out four and walked none (three hit batters) and possessed a two-hitter entering the ninth inning before sealing his fourth career complete game.
 
“I felt a lot of confidence,” Maldonado said. “I took the game one pitch at a time and kept it simple. I just had all my stuff working for me, our defense helped out a lot and we got timely hits to win the game. A win like this where it goes down to the wire and your defense cannot make a mistake and we keep a 1-0 lead for two innings means the world for this team.”
 
Maldonado, discussing the difference in his pitching since the middle of the 2011 season when he began emerging as  a top starter, said: “I try to stay low in the zone and throw strikes. In the past I tried to pitch around guys. Now I pitch to contact and I'm a lot more competitive this way and stay in games longer.”
 
The game was a true battle as DWC senior righty and ace Kory Kiro (Goffstown, NH), the Eagles' all-time wins leader (15-7) and a returning First-Team All-NECC pitcher (6-1 in 2011), threw 102 pitches in seven innings and allowed just five hits and with seven strikeouts and one walk. Junior Korey LeLievre (Hudson, NH) took the loss (0-1) and allowed two hits and one unearned run in two innings of relief (43 pitches) after seven innings as the right fielder.
 
Offensively for NJCU, freshman first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) was 3-for-4 with two steals and Rivera added a 2-for-4 effort while Casiano added his first career extra base hit with a double. Junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) scored the only run of the game and had one hit.
 
“We pulled up some research and they [DWC] were 122-for 144 in stolen bases last year which I felt was very successful on their part,” Smith said about the game plan and Maldonado's performance. “The way he kept them off base and when they were on base controlling the running game—a lot of times that goes under the radar as a pitcher because you look at so many of these other details. But controlling the running game and keeping them off base was crucial in today's game and it goes to show in the last inning when they did get on and they had that late stolen base and it almost afford them a run. He was able to control that today.”
 
Freshman third baseman Kyle Brigham (Hudson, NH) had two of the Eagles' four hits, batting 2-for-4. Junior Aaron Richards (West Warwick, RI), who started the game at designated hitter before moving to catcher in the ninth, was hit by two pitches.
 
NJCU junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) made two brilliant, leaping, defensive plays to snare line drives and started a 5-5-3 double play to end a DWC third inning threat before Cruz came on in the final two innings.
 
In a scoreless game entering the eighth inning, Patterson had a one-out single with a chopper over the mound near second base and advanced to second when sophomore second baseman ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) reached on a fielding error by junior shortstop Rich Lizotte (West Warwick, RI). Rivera singled to shortstop to load the bases and freshman shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) drove in the go-ahead run with a groundball to second that scored Patterson from third. NJCU stranded a pair of runners and left eight on base in the win; the Knights have stranded 22 runners in the first 18 innings of the season.
 
After Richards was hit by a pitch to start the eighth and advanced to second on a sacrifice, Maldonado coaxed a line out to center before striking out junior second baseman Elliot Kilgore (Milford, NH) swinging to end the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Weinstein, who was 3-for-3, reached on an error and stole second with two outs but was stranded.
 
That led to the ninth inning. LeLievre popped to shortstop before junior catcher/first baseman Tyler Bonin (Litchfield, NH) singled. Lizotte reached on a fielder's choice that retired Bonin, but stole second base with two outs. On a 0-2 pitch, Brigham singled to shallow left field. The Eagles sent Lizotte around third before Rivera fielded the ball on a pair of hops, fired a relay throw to Cruz, who entered the game in the eighth inning, and fired a strike to Casiano to the third base side of home plate. The sophomore catcher, starting just the fifth game of his career, did a textbook job of blocking home plate and applied the tag to the back of Lizotte to end the game before the Eagles could tie the game. Video replay showed it was the correct call with Lizotte's hand inches shy of the plate.
 
NJCU had a few other opportunities to score in the one-run win. In the fifth inning, NJCU drew a walk and put runners on second and third on a single by Weinstein before the Knights stranded a pair. In the fifth inning, Weinstein singled and Casiano doubled to left field. With runners on second and third, Bustillo lifted a one-out fly ball to mid-center before All-NECC junior catcher Josh Chasse (Haverhill, MA) earned an outfield assist when he threw out Weinstein at the plate trying to score on a potential sacrifice fly.
 
Smith summarized NJCU's win by saying “I thought the boys played the entire game and that's what we're looking for. It was a much different game than the first game [against Centenary, March 7]. In that first game there were 26 hits and 20 runs, today we had seven hits and one run the entire game. We have to be a team that can win either way. We have to be able to adapt and find out what we need to win that particular game and today the boys found a way.”
 
“It's definitely a special moment [winning my first game at NJCU] and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that we have. But we do have a long way to go and I'm more excited that the boys have the win under the belts.”
 
On Sunday, NJCU will spring the clocks ahead and welcome daylight savings time with a 9:30 a.m. game against McDaniel College at Chain of Lakes Park Field #2 in Winter Haven, FL on day two of the spring trip.