New Jersey City University Athletics

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HOBOKEN, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Long-time national powerhouse Eastern Connecticut State University saw three pitchers combine for a four-hitter as the Warriors defeated New Jersey City University, 8-1, in a non-conference   neutral field baseball game on March 2 at  Dobbelaar Field. The game was the opening contest of the 'Birthplace of Baseball Classic' hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology.
 
Eastern Connecticut (1-0), playing its 2013 season opener, scored four runs in the fourth inning and a pair of runs in the fifth and ninth frames to pad the lead. The Warriors had nine hits (seven singles, two doubles) and did not commit an error. NJCU (3-4) had its two-game winning streak snapped, while committing four errors. On a chilly day where the temperatures failed to reach 40 degrees, the game was played primarily under an overcast sky with occasional snow flurries.
 
ECSU, coming off a 29-13 record in 2012, and receiving six points in the latest D3baseball.com Top 25 national poll among schools receiving votes, was led by a dominant performance from senior right-hander Evan Chamberlain (Amston, CT) who struck out 10 of the 20 batters he faced and scattered just two singles in 5.0 shutout innings, while walking two over 79 pitches in a winning role (1-0).
 
Junior righty Michael Pendergast (Farmington, CT) struck out four and walked one while allowing one run without giving up a hit in two innings of work (38 pitches). Freshman righty Peter Gregory (Pittsfield, MA) gave up two singles with a strikeout and walk in the final two innings.
 
For NJCU, senior righty WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep), the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, suffered his first decision of the season in three starts (0-1), allowing five earned runs (six total) against seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 6.0 innings over 97 pitches.
 
NJCU used four pitchers and received a solid inning in relief from senior left-hander PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) and freshman righty TOMMY TRELA (Colonia, NJ/Colonia). Garcia pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with one strikeout over 13 pitches and Trela tossed a scoreless eighth inning with one walk.  Sophomore righty NICK DEMARCO (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning.
 
Offensively for ECSU, junior shortstop Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield, CT) was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and run scored while junior third baseman Mike Vaccarelli (Wolcott, CT) was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Senior first baseman Joe Balowski (Berlin, CT) scored twice.
 
NJCU received single hits from senior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway), sophomore first baseman/right fielder ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin), junior second baseman ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) and sophomore MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia). Junior designated hitter DELIO COUTINHO (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) walked twice and scored NJCU's only run.
 
The game saw a pitcher's duel between each squad's ace push a scoreless game into the top of the fourth before ECSU took advantage of two Gothic Knight errors and collected four runs on four hits to claim a 4-0 lead. Vaccarelli led off with a walk and should have been retired on a potential double play at second base. But a throw in the dirt and a second error in the outfield advanced him to third before scoring on an RBI single by senior center fielder Mike Riemer (Ellington, CT). A two-run single by Lynch made it 3-0 before senior second baseman Drew Accomando (Monroe, CT) added an RBI double to right center for a fourth run.
 
ECSU added two insurance runs in the fifth inning, Junior left fielder Adam Roderick (West Hartford, CT) singled and stole second. advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on a ground out by Balowski. Riemer, who was hit by a pitch, scored on a ground-rule double by Lynch to make it 6-0; had the ball not cleared the fence, the Warriors would have scored a seventh run.
 
NJCU collected its lone run in the bottom of the seventh. Coutinho drew a one-out pinch-hit walk, moved to second when sophomore third baseman NICHOLAS D'ERRICO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) was hit by a pitch, before the two players stole second and third. Coutinho scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-1. ECSU scored twice on ground outs in the ninth.
 
On Friday, March 8, the Gothic Knights head to Central Florida for their annual spring trip and participate in the Russ Matt College Spring Break Invitational from March 9-12, with a March 9 game at 9 a.m. against Penn State-Abington first on the schedule in Eagle Lake, Florida.