New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

LITTLE FALLS, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | First-place and No. 23 ranked Montclair State University scored all five of its runs in the first four innings of action and held off a late surge from New Jersey City University to win the opening game of a two-day home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series, 5-2, on Thursday at Yogi Berra Stadium.
 
Montclair (24-12, 12-3 NJAC), ranked No. 23 in Division III by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and receiving votes by D3baseball.com, equivalent to a No. 26 ranking, remained in first place in the league by two points (24) over Kean University (22) with three games remaining on the conference regular season slate. NJCU (12-24, 1-14 NJAC) dropped its sixth in a row. NJCU had won the previous two meetings after sweeping the 2011 series from the Hawks.
 
In defeat, four NJCU players had multiple hits as freshman shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep), freshman right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), junior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison), and sophomore designated hitter MATT MATLOSZ (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) each had two hits.
 
Junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had a two-RBI double in the eighth inning to produce both eighth inning runs for NJCU. Junior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) had his on-base streak snapped at 12 games.
 
For MSU, junior catcher Scott Glozzy (Hackettstown, NJ, Warren Hills) and junior leftfielder Matt Moreno (Park Ridge, NJ, Park Ridge) each had two runs batted in. Glozzy was 2-for-4 with one run and Moreno went 2-for-3. Sophomore shortstop Cody Pace (Milltown, NJ, Spotswood) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Sophomore lefty John Silvestri (Livingston, NJ, Seton Hall Prep) pitched 7.2 solid innings in his first start of the season. He picked up his second win of the season (2-0) as he blanked NJCU through the first seven innings before running into trouble in the eighth.  Silvestri, who allowed five hits and two runs with two strikeouts and two walks, had thrown 10 innings pitched in his eight previous outings.
 
Rookie right-hander Anthony Altieri (Montville, NJ, Montville) earned this second save by securing the final two outs for MSU, against one hit. He was the third pitcher used by Montclair.

Junior right-hander WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) took the loss (3-5) for NJCU. In 7.0 innings, he allowed four earned runs (five total) and nine hits with four strikeouts and five walks over 128 pitches. Junior lefty PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) fired two strikeouts while retiring MSU in order in an eighth-inning relief appearance.
 
After Silvestri set down the Gothic Knights in order in the first inning, Montclair immediately had a chance to put runs on the board as Mickey McGraw (Morristown, NJ , Morristown), Timothy Byron (East Hanover, NJ, Hanover Park) and Pace all singled, loading the bases with no outs. Rodriguez quickly regained control of the inning with a shallow fly ball and a force out at home for two outs. A wild pitch would allow Byron to scamper home with the run but that would be all MSU would get as it led 1-0.
 
MSU tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the third. Pace singled and his time on base was extended after an error before scoring when Glozzy singled into right. A two-run single to center by Moreno accounted for two more runs and a 4-0 lead before MSU left the bases loaded. Montclair stranded 11 runners in the win.
 
MSU added its fifth run in the fourth inning as Pace led off with a walk and scored on a one-out double to left center by Glozzy. That would be the final offensive production for the hosts.
 
NJCU was held off the board until the eighth inning when Wagner and Rivera both singled to lead off. On a hit-and-run, Matlosz, making his first career start, lined into a double play that almost turned into a triple play before Rivera beat the throw back to first base. Rivera stole second and rookie catcher TRAVIS HABER (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) and junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) both walked to loaded the bases. Bustillo ripped the first pitch he saw for a two-run double to left to make it a 5-2 ball game. NJCU would fly out to end the inning with two men on base.

In the ninth, NJCU again threatened as Martucci led off with a single and Wagner added a one-out single to bring the tying run to the plate. Altieri entered in relief and got a fly out from Rivera for the second out. Matlosz singled to load the bases but freshman KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), in a pinch-hitting role, popped up to second to end the game.
 
The two schools will complete the two-day series on Friday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex in Jersey City. It will be senior day at NJCU as the Knights honor four-year pitcher NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) and Bustillo, who will graduate with a year of eligibility remaining.