New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
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JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University scored twice in the second inning before the Pioneers scored seven unanswered runs—two runs in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings and one run in the fifth—as William Paterson University fifth-year head coach Mike Lauterhahn won his 100^th career game as WPU defeated NJCU, 7-2, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game on Thursday at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
WPU (17-5, 2-1 NJAC), extends its winning streak to four and defeats NJCU (9-12, 0-3 NJAC) for the fourth straight game dating to 2010 as the schools were meeting in the first game of a two-day home-and-home series. The clubs will meet again on Friday, April 6 at 1 p.m. in Wayne, NJ.
 
Lauterhahn improved to 100-79-2 in 181 games at the helm of his alma mater since taking over for legendary coach Jeff Albies who retired after the 2007 season with 860 wins in 33 years.
 
The Pioneers received a pitching gem from junior left-hander James Young (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), who allowed one earned run (two total) and scattered six singles in his second complete game victory of the season. In improving to 2-0 he fanned three and walked one over just 98 pitches.
 
WPU entered the week with the No. 2 team batting average in the nation out of 373 schools and eight of nine starters had a hit as the Pioneers outhit NJCU, 11-6.
 
In defeat for NJCU, junior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) posted his team-leading 12^th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 with one RBI. Junior PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret), making his third start at second base, was 2-for-4. Rookie right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) was 1-for-3 with one RBI.
 
WPU sophomore left fielder A.J. Flores (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) was 2-for-5 with one run and three stolen bases out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup and junior catcher Vin Fondacaro (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township) was 2-for-4 with one run and a key two-RBI single in the eighth inning to break open what had been a three-run game.
 
Also for the Pioneers, NJAC Player of the Year candidate and senior designated hitter Adam Derner (River Edge, NJ/River Dell Regional), raised his conference-leading .514 batting average by going 2-for-3 with a run, two walks, and his NJAC-best 42^nd RBI of the season. Senior first baseman Jack Montanile (Weehawken, NJ/Hudson Catholic) scored twice for the visitors.
 
NJCU used six pitchers in the game. Junior lefty PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) started and allowed only two earned runs (three total) and five hits in 4.1 innings but walked six and fanned one over 83 pitches, dropping to 0-3 on the year.
 
Junior ORLANDO BOLANO (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken), who started the game at catcher, pitched two-thirds of an inning of perfect ball in the eighth before junior WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) made his 10^th appearance (fifth in relief) and struck out one batter against one single in the ninth inning.
 
WPU left 14 runners stranded in the game, including two in the top of the first. In the second inning, freshman shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep), who also made his first NJCU pitching appearance in the game, reached on an error before scoring on an RBI single by Rivera. Sophomore designated hitter ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades), who had walked, scored on an RBI single by Wagner for a 2-0 lead. Rivera and Wagner appeared to have successfully stolen second and third but junior third baseman BRIAN BUSTILLO (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) was ruled out on a batter's interference to negate the steals and Young got a fly out to end the inning as NJCU stranded two of the four runners it would leave in the game.
 
In the third inning, the Pioneers, aided by an error and two walks, loaded the bases before Garcia got out of the frame undamaged, leaving the bags full.
 
But in the fourth, WPU broke through. Sophomore second baseman Scott Ptaszynski (Wharton, NJ/Morris Hills) walked and senior right fielder Rob Somers (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) dropped down a sacrifice bunt attempt. Garcia made a mental mistake, looking to second, back to first, and over to second again, but did not make the throw in time when he looked back to first base and everyone was safe on the bunt single. After a sacrifice did move the runners into scoring position, junior center fielder Ryan Gibbons (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) grounded out to push home the first run. An infield error that should have ended the inning allowed Somers to score with the tying run.
 
WPU scored the eventual winning run on three hits in the fifth inning. Fondacaro and Ptaszynski singled and with two outs, junior third baseman James Lauer (Hamilton, NJ/Pennington Prep) singled down the left field line to knock in Fondacaro for a 3-2 margin.
 
WPU added to its cushion with two runs on two hits in the sixth. Flores singled, stole second and moved to third on NJCU's third error of the game before scoring on an infield single by Derner. Montanile, who reached on the error as the second batter of the inning, later scored on a double play that should have been the final out of the inning, making the differential, 5-2.
 
NJCU's best chance to get back in the game came in the sixth. Senyszyn singled to lead off but was picked off first base. Freshman first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) singled and advanced to second base when a fielder's choice throw was dropped. But Weinstein was erased at third as NJCU attempted a double steal and a strikeout ended the frame.
 
In the seventh, Rivera singled with one out, advanced to second with two outs and third on a wild pitch. With two outs, rookie third baseman STEFAN SEGUEN (North Bergen, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had his first at bat of the game. But on a ground ball down the third base line, assuming the ball was foul, he did not run hard out of the box. It proved costly as Rivera would have scored from third to make it a two-run game and kept the inning alive, but rather was thrown out at first.
 
Instead, it was NJCU's last solid scoring opportunity of the game as Young capped his complete game by retiring the final seven Gothic Knight batters in order.
 
WPU added two runs in the eighth inning as Fondacaro singled to drive in Montanile, who led off with a single, and Derner, who walked for the second time in the game.