New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME NOTES/PROGRAM

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Four New Jersey City University pitchers, led by freshman right-hander JOMAR CASIANO (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) combined for a six-hit shutout and senior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) had four hits for the second consecutive game as NJCU won for the sixth time in its last seven games and improved to 8-2 in its last 10 outings with a 14-0 non-conference rout of Lehman College on March 28 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
NJCU is now 9-5 on the season and moves four games over .500 for the first time since March 31, 2006, improving to 3-0 at home. Lehman falls to 5-6 overall. NJCU utilized 20 players in its second shutout victory of the season.
 
The Knights led 9-0 after three innings, plating four runs in the second and third innings. NJCU tallied 12 hits but just one went for extra bases.
 
Casiano, who had thrown just one inning this season, made his first collegiate start a brilliant one. In 6.0 innings, he allowed just four singles and struck out four without issuing a walk over 77 pitches.
 
Sophomore NICHOLAS D'ERRICO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) started the game at shortstop before moving to the mound in the seventh inning for his first appearance at NJCU. He allowed one hit and struck out one while facing four batters over 12 pitches. Freshman righty BRANDON CHARLES (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) needed just nine pitches to throw a 1-2-3 eighth inning, striking out one before sophomore ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin), who started the game at first base before moving to right field, threw 14 pitches in the ninth to close the game, striking out two batters against one hit.
 
Patterson, who also had four hits in a win over John Jay College on March 26, is now 8-for-9 this week and raised his batting average to .474 and on-base rate to .565 after batting 4-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs and a pair of steals—giving him 16 in 18 attempts this year. He leads the team in runs (16) and RBIs (15) as a leadoff batter. He extended his hitting streak to nine games and reached base for the 16^th consecutive game dating to last season.
 
Senior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, his 99^th career hit and two steals and junior designated hitter ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) scored three times (1-for-1, one RBI).
 
Weinstein was 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI, D'Errico scored two runs (1-for-3) and freshman catcher/third baseman ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) added two runs and two walks (1-for-3). Senior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) batted 2-for-3 with a run.
 
With a comfortable eighth inning lead, senior ace pitcher WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep) was given his first career at bat and produced an RBI on a groundout.
 
For Lehman, junior shortstop Waldo Acosta (New York, NY) was 2-for-3. No other player had more than one hit. Sophomore righty Justin Moises (New York, NY) started for the Lightning, allowing six earned runs and six hits and walking two in 2.0 innings in a losing effort (0-2). Lehman used four pitchers in the game.
 
NJCU got the only run it needed in the bottom of the first as Patterson singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Senyszyn single and scored on a ground ball by Rivera.
 
A four-run second inning made it 5-0. With two outs, Roman and D'Errico walked and Patterson singled. On a delayed double steal, Patterson was chased back to first base but the Lehman second baseman bought the bait, and D'Errico swiped home for a 3-0 lead. When the throw by Lehman went to the plate, Patterson claimed second base. Senyszyn followed with a single to left; after receiving a relay throw, the Lightning catcher unnecessarily threw to second base and Patterson alertly raced home for the third run of the inning. Senyszyn scored from second on an RBI single by Rivera.
 
In the third inning, Niech led off with a double before Weinstein singled home a run. Wagner walked and Roman was hit by a pitch to load the bags. Weinstein scored on a wild pitch that advanced everyone and Patterson singled to right center for a 7-0 lead to bring in Wagner, before Roman followed when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
 
NJCU added three runs in the fifth inning. Weinstein singled, advanced on a pair of wild pitches before scoring on an RBI single by Roman. D'Errico singled and Patterson walked to load the bases. Roman scored an unearned when a force at the plate was dropped by the Lehman catcher. A sacrifice fly by Rivera added the 12^th run of the game. NJCU also added a run in the sixth inning on a sac fly by freshman reserve catcher JAMES GARDNER (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) before Rodriguez took advantage of his eighth-inning senior at bat. NJCU left the bases loaded in the eighth.
 
On Good Friday (March 29), NJCU will host Gwynedd-Mercy College in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference home contest before New Jersey Athletic Conference play begins on Saturday.