New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE (html)
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rowan University strung together seven extra-base hits, including six doubles and scored five times in the third inning as the Profs bats combined with two strong pitching performances carried the visitors to a 13-2 New Jersey Athletic Conference victory over New Jersey City University on April 18 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex in the opening game of a home-and-home series. The game was played under a light but steady rainfall for much of the early and middle portion of the contest.
 
Rowan (21-10, 6-5 NJAC) won its third straight game and had a 2-to-1 advantage in hits over NJCU, 16-8, while defeating the Gothic Knights (14-16, 3-8 NJAC) for the eighth straight meeting. Since beating #1 ranked Kean on Saturday, NJCU has lost four straight games.
 
Five different Profs had multiple hits, led by senior first baseman Sean Kelly (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) who was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, one run and his 13^th double of the season. Freshman catcher Stephen Petriello (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) reached base five of the six times he stepped to the plate, batting 3-for-4 with two runs, two walks, a double and one RBI.
 
Sophomore third baseman Kevin McMenamin (Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade) added a 3-for-5 performance with two runs, two RBIs and a double and junior second baseman Mark Benak (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) scored three times, batting 2-for-4 with his NJAC-leading 18^th double of the year. Sophomore designated hitter Casey Grimes (Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro), this week's NJAC, ECAC and NJCBA Division II/III Player of the Week, finished 2-for-4 with two runs and a long solo home run—his league-leading sixth of the year.
 
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Easterday (Westmont, NJ/Haddon Township) was masterful for Rowan. In 8.0 innings he allowed eight hits—all singles—and two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts and one walk over 105 pitches. Junior righty Brian Sietsma (Mahwah, NJ/Eastern Christian) threw a hitless ninth inning, striking out two batters.
 
In defeat for NJCU, half of its hits came from sophomore first baseman ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) and sophomore right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia). Weinstein, playing in his first game in a week after missing four games with a sprained ankle, had a solid return, batting 2-for-3 with one RBI; Wagner was 2-for-4.
 
Senior ace righty WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep), who made his first start since defeating No. 1 ranked Kean on April 13, did not have his best stuff and had a difficult time getting his footing at times on a wet pitcher's mound. He suffered the loss for the second straight game (4-4), allowing seven runs and 10 hits with four strikeouts (two walks) over 93 pitches. Senior PEDRO GARCIA (North Bergen, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) threw the final 4.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and six hits, with five strikeouts and four walks.
 
In the bottom of the first inning, NJCU loaded the bases after back-to-back singles by senior second baseman PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) and rookie catcher ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) and Weinstein was hit by the first pitch he saw since returning to the lineup. But Wagner hit a slow roller to third to end the inning. That was NJCU's best early threat.
 
Rain began falling steadily in the top of the second. A walk and single gave Rowan two runners on with no outs before Rodriguez picked off his sixth runner of the year to tie an 11-year-old single-season school record and equal the program career standard with eight.
 
But after two quick outs had been recorded in the third inning, Rowan burst out to a 5-0 lead as the next six base runners all reached. Benak had an infield single and stole second, Petriello walked and Kelly doubled to drive in two runs. Grimes was hit by a pitch and McMenamin continued the onslaught with a nearly 400-foot double to straight away center to drive in two more runs for a 4-0 advantage. Junior right fielder Eric Sellitto (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) notched the third double of the inning, a ground-rule two-bagger that hopped over the fence in left center to drive in McMenamin for a 5-0 cushion.
 
NJCU got one run back in the bottom of the third. With two outs, senior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) singled and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by Weinstein before Rivera scored on an infield error.
 
Rowan, which scored the most runs by an opponent in Jersey City this season, left 14 men on base, but scored at least one run in six of the final seven innings, minus the seventh.
 
In the fourth, Rowan again scored with two outs as Benak lofted a ground-rule double over the left field fence and scored on an RBI single to left center by Petriello. In the top of the fifth, Grimes, who entered the game as the NJAC leader in homers and 22nd nationally, unloaded on the first pitch he saw, crushing a pitch deep over the left field fence for his sixth round-tripper and a 7-1 cushion.
 
Rowan added two more runs in the sixth. With one out Benak walked, Petriello doubled down the left field line and an RBI single by Kelly made it 8-1. Benak and Kelly combined for a delayed steal of second and home with Benak claiming the ninth run after the throw went to second base.
 
Rowan added three unearned runs in the eighth when NJCU committed two of its four errors before adding its final run in the ninth on a bases loaded walk and unearned run after another error extended the inning. NJCU's second run came in the eighth. Senyszyn walked with one out, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by Weinstein.
 
NJCU and Rowan will complete the home-and-home series on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Glassboro, NJ.