New Jersey City University Athletics

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JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Gwynedd-Mercy College sophomore right-hander Matt Rakus (Sewell, NJ/St. Augustine) tossed seven shutout innings before New Jersey City University finally broke up the shutout bid in the ninth inning as the Griffins defeated NJCU, 7-1, in a non-conference baseball game on March 29 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
NJCU (9-6) has its two-game winning streak snapped. GMC wins its 10^th game (10-6). The Griffins stole eight bases in the game and scored three runs in the third and two more in the fourth to claim a 5-0 lead, before adding single runs in the fifth and eighth frames.
 
In defeat, senior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) became the 35^th player in school history to notch 100 career hits when he lined a 1-1 pitch for a single up the middle.
 
Rakus, a Division I transfer, improved to 5-0 in five starts this season. In 7.0 shutout innings he allowed just five singles with eight strikeouts versus one walk over 94 pitches. He retired the first seven batters of the game and did not allow a hit for the first 3.1 innings.
 
Freshman left-hander Rich Young (Havertown, PA) allowed one hit over 17 pitches in the eighth inning before freshman righty Andrew Hill (Christiana, PA) gave up two hits and one unearned run in the ninth inning.
 
Freshman designated hitter Mike Marchitto (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) went 2-for-4 with three runs, three steals, a walk and RBI for GMC while junior first baseman Dante Cassano (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) added two RBIs in a 2-for-3 effort.
 
Senior center fielder Josh Martin (Pottstown, PA) didn't have a hit but reached base twice, scoring each time while swiping three bases. Freshman shortstop Kurt Taylor (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) also tallied a pair of hits.
 
For NJCU, freshman catcher ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) was 2-for-4 with his sixth double of the season and junior designated hitter ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) was 2-for-2 with NJCU's lone RBI.
 
Freshman righty TOMMY TRELA (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) suffered the loss (1-2), allowing five earned runs on five hits with four walks and one strikeout over 110 pitches.
 
Three NJCU relievers all pitched well. Senior lefty PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) continued a dominant season, retiring the side in order on 10 pitches in the seventh. He lowered his ERA to 0.61 in 14.2 innings and opposing batting average to .042.
 
Freshman righty NICK DEMARCO (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) struck out two batters in the eighth inning, allowing one hit and one unearned run before freshman righty BRANDON CHARLES (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) struck out one batter against two hits in a 17-pitch ninth inning.
 
After posting four hits in each of his last two games, senior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) was 0-for-5, snapping his hitting streak at nine games and consecutive games on base steak at 16 straight.
 
After two well-pitched opening innings by both schools, GMC broke through in the third. A leadoff walk and an error put two men on and Marchitto singled up the middle for a 1-0 lead. A double steal put two runners in scoring position before a sacrifice fly by Cassano plated the second run and an RBI single by junior catcher John Burns (Levittown, PA) made it 3-0.
 
With two outs in the fourth inning and no one on base, Martin was hit by a pitch, stole second and after Marchitto walked, the duo stole second and third. Niech's throw to third in an attempt to gun down Martin was behind the bag and went into foul territory down the left field line, allowing Martin to score, although the error eventually would not have impacted the inning as Cassano doubled to left to knock in the fifth run.
 
GMC added three hits in the fifth inning and gained a 6-0 lead on an RBI single by freshman left fielder David Blount (Croydon, PA) before Marchitto reached on a two-out error in the eighth inning and the Griffins scored on the second error of the inning.
 
NJCU prevented being shutout when Niech led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double and after a one-out error, pinch runner DELIO COUTINHO (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) scored on a first-pitch RBI single to right by Roman.
 
On March 30, NJCU will begin its 18-game New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule with an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader against The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ.