New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE (Game 1)

FLEMINGTON, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior right-hander WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) and sophomore righty ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) combined for a 10-inning, nine-hit shutout and New Jersey City University scored twice in the top of the 10^th to outlast Centenary College (NJ), 2-0, in game one of a non-conference  doubleheader on February 24 at Diamond Nation.
 
Based on existing program records, the contest appears to mark the first time in school history a game has gone to extra innings scoreless and it believed to be the first 2-0 victory in the program's annals.
 
NJCU is now 2-3 in the earliest five games played in program history; the loss dropped the Cyclones to 1-4. Centenary held a 9-6 advantage in base hits but all 15 combined hits were singles.
 
Rodriguez was brilliant, throwing 8.0 innings of shutout baseball, scattering seven singles with seven strikeouts and two walks over 127 pitches.

Second-year head coach Jerry Smith said: "We have enough talent; we just need to put it all together. In Wendell's first outing [February 15 at Southern Virginia], we score 11 runs but back it up with six errors and 12 runs allowed. Today he pitches eight scoreless and we put nothing together. So it's just a matter of putting it all toegther."

Weinstein, who started the game at first base, earned his first career pitching decision (1-0) by continuing the Gothic Knight dominance on the mound, allowing just two singles with a strikeout and walk over 29 pitches in the ninth and 10^th innings. After running into trouble in the 10^th, Weinstein produced a double play to second base to end the game.
 
Senior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) was 2-for-5 with a run and one RBI, driving in the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 10^th before scoring on a sacrifice fly by sophomore shortstop MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep).
 
Martucci, freshman catcher ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia), junior designated hitter MATT MATLOSZ (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) and sophomore third baseman NICHOLAS D'ERRICO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) each had one hit.
Centenary sophomore righty Mitch Renz (Danville, PA) threw 77 pitches in the first six innings, striking out two  versus four hits before sophomore righty Chad Frankenfield (Bethlehem, PA) struck out two without giving up a hit (26 pitches) in the seventh and eighth innings.
Sophomore righty Danny Derner (Rutherford, NJ/Rutherford) suffered the loss in relief. In 1.1 innings, he was charged with two unearned runs with two strikeouts and two hits before senior righty Dylan Kemmerer (Easton, PA) retired the final two outs.
 
Offensively, freshman center fielder Nick Koffel (Periomenville, PA) was 3-for-5 and sophomore left fielder Nick Ortiz (Bronx, NY) went 2-for-4.
 
NJCU left at least one runner on base in every inning other than the fourth, eighth and ninth frames with two stranded in the first. Prior to the 10^th inning, NJCU's best chance game in the third when the Knights left the bases loaded following a single and two hit batters. Centenary's best look came in the eighth, as the Cyclones drew a leadoff walk and Koffel singled, before Rodriguez coaxed an infield pop bunt, a fielder's choice and a strikeout to end the threat.
 
In the 10^th, senior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) reached on a one-out error, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single to left by Rivera, who moved to second on the throw. A single by Niech gave NJCU runners on the corners before a sac fly by Martucci to right field made it 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the 10^th, Centenary threatened with a pair of one-out singles before Weinstein coerced sophomore shortstop Joe Forcellini (Hatfield, PA) to hit into a game-ending 4-4-3 double play to Senyszyn at second base.