New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

WAYNE, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 4-2 at the seventh-inning stretch before William Paterson University began to slug its way to victory, rallying for five runs in the bottom of the seventh and five more in the eighth as the Pioneers swept the two-day home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series with a 12-4 victory over NJCU on Friday afternoon at Jeff Albies Field.

WPU (18-5, 3-1 NJAC), extends its winning streak to five and defeats NJCU (9-13, 0-4 NJAC) for the fifth straight game dating to 2010 as the schools also met on April 5 in Jersey City; the Pioneers prevailed, 7-2 in the series opener.
 
WPU outhit NJCU, 12-9 and the Knights were limited to all singles, scoring twice in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2 before claiming a 4-2 advantage in the top of the seventh.
 
In defeat, freshman shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) had his 12^th multiple-hit game of the season, batting 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run in the leadoff spot. Junior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) added his 13^th multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
 
Junior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) was 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored. Freshman first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin), who entered the week ranked No. 4 in the nation in sacrifice flies, had one RBI on his sixth sac of the season.
 
WPU was led by junior center fielder Ryan Gibbons (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock), who was 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot with two runs and a solo homerun—his third round-tripper of the season. Sophomore left fielder A.J. Flores (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI and junior catcher Vin Fondacaro (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township) knocked in three RBIs and scored twice, while batting 1-for-4.
 
Also for the Pioneers, senior first baseman Jack Montanile (Weehawken, NJ/Hudson Catholic) scored twice and drove in two runs and senior shortstop Anthony Dorio (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) had two RBIs. Junior third baseman James Lauer (Hamilton, NJ/Pennington Prep) was 2-for-3 with two runs and sophomore second baseman Scott Ptaszynski (Wharton, NJ/Morris Hills) added two hits.
 
One bright spot for NJCU's pitching was holding NJAC Player of the Year candidate and senior designated hitter Adam Derner (River Edge, NJ/River Dell Regional), who entered the game with a league-best .521 batting, to an 0-for-4 showing.
 
Junior right-hander Matt Goitz (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne) started for WPU tossing 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out four against five hits and two walks. The win went to freshman right-handed reliever Tom Gaccione (Little Falls, NJ/Passaic Valley Regional), who allowed one earned run (two total) and three hits with one strikeout in 1.0 inning.  Junior J.J. Moran (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) and freshman Joe Moran (Wharton, NJ/Morris Hills) each tossed 1.0 inning scoreless innings in relief.
 
Senior righty NELSON MALDONADO (Newark, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) suffered the loss (1-3). Despite allowing just two runs in the first six innings, he ran into trouble in the seventh. He finished allowing seven earned runs and nine hits with three strikeouts and five walks. Junior ORLANDO BOLANO (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) and freshman JUAN CRUZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) each threw in relief in the eighth inning.
 
WPU struck first on the scoreboard, scoring twice on three hits, aided by two NJCU errors in the third inning. Back-to-back singles by Ptaszynski and Lauer sparked the Pioneer offense in the bottom of the third frame.  Flores singled down the right-field line to score Ptaszynski before Montanile rolled a ground-ball fielder's choice that allowed Lauer to scamper home to put the Pioneers ahead, 2-0.
 
New Jersey City responded in its half of the fifth inning.  Junior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) walked and moved to second on a Patterson fielder's choice.  Both runners were able to advance a base as freshman
KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), playing third base for the first time, grounded out to the right side, setting up Martucci for a two-run, game-tying single to right field.
 
The sides remained knotted at two until NJCU scored twice on three hits in the top of the seventh. Patterson led off with a single and stole second before Martucci singled to put runners on the corners with one out.  Rivera singled to the pitcher to reach safely, and moved to second base on a throwing error by the Pioneers defense that allowed Patterson to race home.  Weinstein's sacrifice fly plated Martucci to give NJCU a 4-2 lead. 
 
The Pioneers answered in the bottom half of the frame stringing together a rally of its own.  A walk to Lauer and two base hits by Gibbons and Flores loaded the bases for WPU and Montanile drew a walk, forcing in a run. Fondacaro cleared the bases with a double down the right field line as the Pioneers erased a 4-3 deficit and gained a 6-4 lead. Dorio walked and Ptaszynski singled to load the bases again before Maldonado was called for a balk with the bags full to allow the seventh run.
 
Looking for insurance, WPU got it in the eighth as Gibbons led off with a homer to right field on a 3-1 pitch. Montanile singled, Derner walked on four pitches and Fondacaro was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Dorio, who singled through the left side to drive in two runs. A sac fly by senior right fielder Rob Somers (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) plated the 11^th run before Dorio scored the final run on a wild pitch.
 
NJCU looks to snap a two-game losing streak when it hosts Rutgers University-Camden in an NJAC doubleheader on Saturday, April 7 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex in Jersey City.