New Jersey City University Athletics

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JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Montclair State University and New Jersey City University played an old fashioned nine-inning pitcher's duel on Friday afternoon as each team's starting pitcher threw a complete game effort before the No. 23 ranked Red Hawks edged NJCU, 3-2, in the back end of a two-day home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series, at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. Montclair won despite leaving 15 men stranded on base.

MSU senior left-hander Sean Hille (Edison, NJ/St. Joseph's Metuchen) earned his NJAC-leading eighth win of the season (8-3), tossing his fourth complete game of the season while drawing a decision for the 11^th time in 12 starts. Over 114 pitches he struck out nine and walked none, while allowing two unearned runs and four hits (three singles), with 13 groundouts and five fly outs. Hille preserved the one-run victory by retiring the final 10 NJCU batters in order.
 
NJCU senior righty NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)), who along with graduating junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) was honored in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony, suffered the loss (1-6) on a day where he pitched well enough to win. In a 149-pitch complete-game effort—his third of the season and seven of his career, Maldonado allowed just one earned run (three total) and seven hits, all of which were singles. He struck out seven to increase his second-place career total to 145 while walking six and hitting three batters. It was the seventh time in his career Maldonado has fanned seven or more batters in a game and the seven were a season high. He struck out eight last year in a 15-3 win over Montclair.
 
Montclair (25-12, 13-3 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 (26) over Kean University (24), which defeated Ramapo, 10-3, on Friday. With two games remaining on the conference regular season slate, Montclair has clinched no worse than the No. 2 seed in the league tournament. NJCU (12-25, 1-15 NJAC) dropped its seventh in a row and lost the season series to MSU after falling yesterday in Little Falls, 5-2. NJCU falls to 3-5 in one-run games this season.
 
The game was historic for senior catcher/designated hitter Kevin Bond (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove), who went 2-for-3 with an RBI and with a first inning single became the 12^th player in Montclair history to register 200 career hits.
 
He was the only player with multiple hits. Junior first baseman Jason Chesterman (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) had one hit with one RBI and one run scored and junior leftfielder Matt Moreno (Park Ridge, NJ, Park Ridge) had a hit and RBI, along with a diving catch in left field.
 
Freshman first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) had a double for NJCU. Rookie right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) was 1-for-4 with one run and sophomore designated hitter MATT MATLOSZ (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson), starting his second career game was 1-for-3 with one RBI.
 
Rookie catcher TRAVIS HABER (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken), who entered the game with one of the oddest stat lines in Division III—a .429 on-base percentage (six walks) and a .000 batting average in 14 plate appearances over 20 games, made his second career start behind the plate and notched his first career hit while also being hit by a pitch. He now owns a .471 on-base percentage and .100 batting average on the season.
 
The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Montclair capitalized on an error to score three runs on just two hits for a 3-0 lead. Junior catcher Scott Glozzy (Hackettstown, NJ, Warren Hills) reached on an error by Weinstein and sophomore second baseman Lou Martini (Flemington, NJ/North Hunterdon) walked before Chesterman singled down the left field line to score Glozzy. Montclair ran a squeeze play to score Martini from third and Moreno reached on what became a bunt single. A walk loaded the bases and Bond was hit by a pitch to force in Chesterman with what proved to be the winning run. Junior third baseman Stephen Nappe (Edison, NJ/Edison)¸who entered the day leading MSU in average (.359), runs (36), RBIs (39) and extra base hits (20), was held to 0-for-4 in the game and flew out to leave the bases full. Nappe was the final batter when nine Red Hawks were stranded on base in the game.
 
NJCU got both of its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Wagner singled with one out and junior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) reached on a fielder's choice. A throwing error by Montclair sophomore shortstop Cody Pace (Milltown, NJ, Spotswood)—only his fifth error of the season—allowed Wagner to remain alive and advance to third and Matlosz singled to right center on the first pitch he saw to make it 3-1. Junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) reached on a fielder's choice that knocked in Rivera for the second run before NJCU stranded two runners on base.
 
In the sixth, MSU loaded the bases on a leadoff fielding error, a hit by pitch and a walk before Nappe struck out to again leave the bags full. MSU stranded 10 runners through the first six innings. In the bottom of the inning, Weinstein doubled down the left field line with two outs and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Hille struck out Wagner on six pitches to prevent the tying run from scoring.
 
The defensive play of the game kept NJCU alive in the top of the seventh. Glozzy singled and advanced to second on an error off a sacrifice bunt. Another sacrifice bunt moved two runners into scoring position after the first out. The next batter, Chesterman, flew out to medium left field on what looked like a textbook sac fly opportunity. But a strong throw by Rivera skipped to Haber who blocked most of home plate. When Glozzy over slid and could not get his hand on the plate, Haber applied the tag to end the inning.
 
In the top of the eighth, Montclair again loaded the bags as Moreno walked, Bond singled and Nappe was hit by a pitch before a fielder's choice ended the frame.
 
But NJCU went in order in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and Hille got the heart of the NJCU lineup in the ninth inning with two groundouts before striking out Wagner to seal the win.
 
NJCU heads to Galloway, NJ for an 11:30 a.m. season-ending doubleheader at Richard Stockton College on Saturday, April 28. Meanwhile, Montclair hosts The College of New Jersey at the same time in Little Falls, NJ, needing a sweep or a split coupled with a Kean loss, to clinch the league's regular season title.