New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

MADISON, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University junior right-hander WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) had never saved a game in his collegiate career entering his third season at NJCU. He's beginning to make it look routine. Rodriguez was handed the ball with the Gothic Knights in the tightest of jams on Tuesday afternoon after Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Wen-Rod proceeded to coerce three outs—an infield pop out, a shallow fly out and a fielder's choice—as NJCU survived for an 8-7 non-conference victory at FDU Field.
 
NJCU (11-14) exceeds the win total (10-28) of the 2011 team while dropping FDU (11-13) in the first meeting between the teams since April 3, 2001 (a 5-2 FDU win in Jersey City). NJCU defeated FDU for the first time since 1999 and earned its first win in Madison against the Devils since an 11-10 win in 1991.

Rodriguez earned his third save of the season to accompany his three victories as a starter and allowed rookie KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), who made his first career start at shortstop before coming in as NJCU's third pitcher, to improve to 2-0 on the mound this year. DeMauro tossed 4.0 shutout innings against two hits, with three strikeouts and three walks.
 
Offensively, NJCU pounded out 16 hits, led by junior catcher ORLANDO BOLANO (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) in the cleanup spot, who batted 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Junior second baseman/shortstop PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) served as the leadoff hitter for the first time as a Gothic Knight and responded by batting 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI.
 
In all, five NJCU players had multiple hits. DeMauro aided his own cause by scoring twice and posting a 2-for-5 effort. Junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) was 2-for-5 with a run and junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) had a run and RBI in a 2-for-4 effort.
 
Bustillo, Patterson and DeMauro, the bottom three hitters in the lineup, combined for six hits (6-for-14) with four runs in a game that saw all nine players who started in the lineup notch at least one hit.
 
FDU sophomore second baseman Brandan Adams (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) was 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI and senior right fielder Matt Joiner (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) drove in three runs, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and one run.
 
Junior left fielder Nick Core (Mullica Hill, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) was 2-for-5 and sophomore designated hitter Frank LaGuarina (Somerset, NJ/Immaculata) was 1-for-4 with a two-run homerun.
 
FDU used seven pitchers and none for more than 2.0 innings. The loss (0-1) went to senior Matt LaTorre (Galloway, NJ/St. Augustine Prep), the fourth pitcher used. In 2.0 innings he allowed one run and two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He was on the hill when NJCU took a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning.
 
Junior left-hander PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) started for NJCU but was yanked after one-third of an inning after allowing three earned runs and two hits. Sophomore lefty ZACK MARKLE (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken), the losing pitcher for NJCU in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday, was much better in a long relief appearance on Tuesday, allowing just two runs and five hits in 3.2 innings, striking out two batters.
 
NJCU struck first in the opening inning as Senyszyn led off with a single, and moved to second on a single by freshman right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia). Rookie first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) dropped down a rare bunt single and everyone was safe, loading the bases with no outs. Senyszyn scored on a fielder's choice when the throw to the plate was not handled cleanly, giving NJCU a 1-0 lead. A 1-2-3 double play and a groundout back to the pitcher ended a huge early threat.
 
FDU had an even bigger first inning in the bottom portion of the frame, scoring four runs to claim a 4-1 margin. Senior shortstop Steve Seminerio (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park) reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch and stole third. After a walk put runners on the corners, Joiner doubled to left field, knocking in two runs for a 2-1 lead. With one out, LaGuarina homered to left field for a 4-1 cushion, knocking Garcia out of the game in favor of Markle after just one-third of an inning. Markle ended the FDU inning with a strike out and infield popup.
 
NJCU battled back in the second, scoring three runs on three hits to tie it. Bustillo singled and Patterson was hit by a pitch. DeMauro dropped a bunt single to third base, loading the bases. Senyszyn drove in a run on a fielder's choice that resulted in an error and that proved critical for FDU when Wagner hit into a double play that should have ended the inning on the next play. Instead, Patterson scored from third for the third run and after Weinstein drew a two-out walk, Bolano singled through the right side to score DeMauro with the third unearned run of the game, tying the contest at 4-4.
 
FDU regained a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second. Junior center fielder Peter Amerosi (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) singled with one out and stole second before scoring on a two-out RBI single to center by Adams.
 
The lead held until the top of the fourth when DeMauro and Senyszyn had back-to-back singles, then registered a double steal of second and third. After junior Jake Hazen (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hill), who struck out four batters in two innings, fired back-to-back strikeouts, Bolano dumped a two-RBI single into left field, giving the Knights a 6-5 advantage.
 
FDU evened the game in the fifth when Adams led off with a double to center, advanced to third on a single and scored on a balk. The Knights moved back on top in the sixth. Weinstein drew a two-out walk, stole second and after Bolano also walked, Weinstein scored on an RBI single to right center by sophomore designated hitter and second baseman ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades). NJCU stranded runners on the corners, leading 7-6. Each team left 10 runners on base in the game.
 
DeMauro, who was on the mound in the fifth and allowed the balk, settled down. In the sixth, he allowed a leadoff walk but got out of the frame with a popup and grounder to the mound. He faced just four batters in the seventh, allowing only a one-out walk.
 
In the eighth, senior first baseman Ryan Fandel (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) led off with a single for the Devils, moved to second on a sacrifice and third on a wild pitch on a walk. Freshman center fielder Frankie Tassielli (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) grounded a ball to third base and Bustillo alertly went to the plate with the throw where Fandel was tagged out by Bolano to preserve the one-run lead. A wild pitch moved the remaining base runners to second and third. But with the go-ahead run in scoring position, DeMauro K'd Seminerio to end the inning.
 
In the ninth, NJCU got a much needed insurance run. Roman singled and New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week and junior left fielder  ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) walked. Rivera advanced to second on a wild pitch on a play Roman was thrown out at third. But with two outs, Patterson singled to right center, driving in Rivera for an 8-6 margin. The extra run proved to be the decisive one.
 
The bottom of the ninth wasn't without adventure. Senior starting right-hander NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) entered in relief, seeking his first save since March, 2009 during his freshman campaign. But he didn't retire a batter.
 
Adams led off with a single to right field and advanced to third on an error by Wagner. Joiner followed with a double to left center to score Adams and cut the deficit to one, 8-7. Core singled to left to put runners on the corners with no outs. A walk to LaGuarina loaded the bases and moved the winning run into scoring position, prompting head coach Jerry Smith to replace Maldonado with Rodriguez. The decision paid off.
 
Fandel popped up to shortstop for the first out. Senior third baseman John Pieper (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) flew out to the right field but not deep enough for a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Rodriguez got senior catcher Nick Marcucci (White House Station, NJ/St. Joseph Metuchen) to ground into a fielder's choice and LaGuarina was retired at second on the flip from DeMauro to Senyszyn to end the game.
 
The schedule intensifies on Thursday, April 12 when the Knights face two-time defending NJAC champion Kean University, currently ranked #8/9 in two national polls, in the opening game of a two-day home-and-home series at 3:30 p.m. in Union, NJ.