New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE: GAME 1 | GAME 2

GALLOWAY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore designated hitter MATT MATLOSZ (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) had a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 deadlock as New Jersey City University  won its 2012 season finale on Saturday, defeating host Richard Stockton College in game two of a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader. When game one was extended to 10 innings, NJCU led 3-2 before the Ospreys scored twice in the bottom of the 10th, including a game-ending suicide squeeze play to capture the opening game by the same final, 4-3.
 
NJCU (13-26, 2-116 NJAC) snapped an eight-game losing streak as the Knights and the Ospreys (20-17, 8-10 NJAC) split the season series for the second year in a row. Of NJCU's 39 games in 2012, 24 were decided by four of fewer runs and the Knights were 8-16 in those contests. But after losing by one run to eventual NJAC regular season champion Montclair State on Friday and game one on Saturday by the same margin, the Knights ended the season 4-6 in one-run outings.
  In game one, NJCU forced extra innings with a run in the top of the eighth and gained a 3-2 edge in the 10^th on an RBI single by graduating junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic).
 
But Stockton loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom half of the 10th. Senior right fielder Dan McGuckin (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) grounded into a fielder's choice to score junior Gerard Heininger (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) to tie the score at three. After an intentional walk loaded the bases again, senior Mike Ficarro (Elmira, NY/Elmira) laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score senior first baseman  Mike Wasco (Riverside, NJ/Riverside)  for the 4-3 Stockton win.
 
NJCU outhit Stockton in the opener, 11-10. Junior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret), Bustillo and rookie shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) each went 2-for-5 in the top three spots in the lineup with Bustillo tallying one RBI and Martucci scoring once.
 
Junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) scored twice and rookie first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) notched his seventh sacrifice fly of the season, tying for the second most in a season in program history.
 
Sophomore lefty ZACK MARKLE (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) made his fourth start of the season and pitched outstanding for 6.0 innings, allowing one earned run (two total) and six hits with two walks. Rookie righty KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) took the loss in relief (2-4), allowing only two runs and three hits in 3.1 innings, walking three.
 
Junior righty Bill Barron (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) picked up his second win of the year in relief (2-1) of sophomore lefty Adam Warburton (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township), who threw the first nine innings allowing just one earned run with three strikeouts and one walk. Barron allowed one unearned run and one hit with a K in the 10^th inning.
 
Wasco was the lone Stockton player with multiple hits, batting 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Nine different Ospreys had a hit.
 
In a game lacking in runs, the Ospreys took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as senior catcher Nick Scalise (Northfield, NJ/Mainland) reached on a bunt single and stole second before scoring when Wasco singled through the middle. Stockton left 11 runners on base in the game.
 
NJCU didn't pick up its first hit until the fourth inning but Markle kept Stockton off the board long enough. That  allowed NJCU to finally tie it in the seventh when Weinstein flew out to right with a sacrifice fly that brought home Martucci, who singled back-to-back with Matlosz.
 
Stockton answered right back in the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore third baseman Travis Marra (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) walked. After advancing on an error, he scored the second run on a single to center by junior second baseman Justin Gordon (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial).  
 
NJCU answered in the top of the eighth. After Patterson and sophomore ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) had back-to-back one-out singles, Bustillo reached on a two-out error by Gordon and Patterson crossed the plate to tie it at 2-2.
 
Stockton had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth after an error and an intentional walk loaded the bases before DeMauro stranded two runners with a force play at the plate on a ground ball back to the mound, and another fielder's choice ground ball out forced extra innings.
 
In the 10^th, Patterson reached on a leadoff error, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on a two-out single by Bustillo to center before McGuckin and Ficarro won it for the hosts. Junior righty WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) inherited three runners when he replaced DeMauro in the 10th with the bases loaded and the game tied with one out but was unable to pull off the heroics. Rodriguez, showing no fatigue, pitched for the third time in three days—including the start against Montclair State on Thursday—and earned his 10^th career victory by throwing 2.1 innings of no-hit baseball to close the game, with one strikeout while facing eight batters.
 
Rodriguez became the ninth pitcher in program history to reach double figures in victories and will need just three wins as a senior in 2013 to become the program's all-time leader as he notched his fourth of the season (4-5). He finished his 10^th game of the season (second most in single-season history) and made his 19^th overall pitching appearance, including nine starts, ranking third on the single-season charts.
 
Rookie right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), who had one hit in game one, completed the season on a seven-game hitting streak by batting 3-for-4 with one RBI. Matlosz, who had much of his first year at NJCU cut short due to injuries, made his fourth consecutive start to close the season and batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He hit safely in all four starts, combining to bat 6-for-13 (.462) to end the year. Bustillo wrapped up his career by notching one run and one RBI in a 2-for-5 effort.
 
Junior left-hander PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) had his best start of the season, allowing just one unearned run against six hits and one walk in 5.0 innings before Weinstein threw one and two-thirds, allowing two runs and four hits with two strikeouts, giving up his first earned run of the season.
 
Junior left fielder Barry Larro (Cedarville, NJ/Cumberland), McGuckin, Gordon and freshman third baseman Brett Solomen (Harrison Township, NJ/Clearview) each had two hits. Larro and Solomen picked up doubles for the Ospreys.
 
Senior righty Mark Crescenzi (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) took the loss (2-6), allowing four runs (two earned) and nine hits in 7.1 innings, with three K's and one walk. Sophomore righty Brandon Trainor (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern) threw the final 1.2 innings, surrendering one hit with one strikeout.
 
The game was scoreless until NJCU broke through with two runs in the top of the fourth. Bustillo singled and was sacrificed by Patterson. Martucci reached on a fielder's choice then stole his 19^th base of the season to give the visitors two runners in scoring position before Matlosz and Wagner produced back-to-back RBI singles for the 2-0 advantage.
 
Stockton got a run back in the bottom of the frame as Solomen doubled, and his RBI knocked in Gordon who reached on a fielder's choice.
 
NJCU extended the lead to 3-1 with a seventh inning RBI single by Bustillo, scoring freshman first baseman JUAN CRUZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)), who reached on an error.
 
Stockton evened the game with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Larro singled and stole second, scoring on a sac fly from senior designated hitter Marc Asta (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial). McGuckin came up with a game-tying RBI single.
 
But NJCU responded in the eighth. Patterson reached on a leadoff error, moved to second on a passed ball and Matlosz deposited a one-out RBI double into the left center field gap to generate the winning run. Rodriguez set aside Stockton in order in the eighth and retired the first two batters in the ninth before hitting Asta and a pinch runner stole second. But Rodriguez got McGuckin to ground out end the game.