New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOX SCORE: Game 1 | Game 2
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University caught two bad breaks in game one and left the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two out in the bottom of the ninth before falling to Rutgers-Newark, 3-2, in the opening game of a New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on April 6. In game two, rookie right-hander JOMAR CASIANO (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) improved to 3-0 to open his career and freshman catcher ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) belted his third homer of the season to pace the Gothic Knights to an 8-3 win.
 
Just 23 games into the second season of the Coach Jerry Smith era, NJCU matched its win total from 2012 (13-26), improving to 13-10 and 2-4 in the NJAC. The Scarlet Raiders fell to 7-17 (2-4 NJAC). The Knights are 7-2 at home this year.
 
Prior to the game, John 'Jack' Nagurka, `87, the school's all-time strikeout leader, who was inducted into NJCU's Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night, threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch to NJCU senior right-hander WENDELL RODRIGUEZ (Ponce, Puerto Rico/County Prep), who broke his career record for victories on Thursday.
 
Senior left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) was a combined 5-for-8 in the doubleheader, increasing his career hits total to 115 while sophomore center/right fielder MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) was also 5-for-8 as each player contributed a pair of RBIs on the day. Rivera notched his fifth and sixth consecutive multi-hit games and is now 15 for his last 24 at bats.
 
R-N freshman Michael Murray (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), who entered the opening game in a reserve role, was 4-for-7 on the day. In the opener, NJCU led 1-0 until a shallow pop-up in the top of the sixth inning was lost in the sun, fell for a single and led to two Scarlet Raider runs and R-N added a third run in the top of the ninth when the Knights failed to turn a double play.
 
Trailing 3-1, NJCU made it a one-run game with runners at second and third and senior Matt Larangera (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) moved from left field to the mound to face Niech. A 13-pitch battle ensued, including seven consecutive foul balls, before the R-N senior finally earned the save, striking out Niech on a chest-high fast ball to end the game.
 
Both starters pitched well enough to win but only one could.  For the second year in a row, R-N senior righty Kyle Van Vliet (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) earned a win (2-2) against NJCU. This time he needed 146 pitches over eight and 2/3 innings as he allowed two runs and seven hits, striking out seven versus two walks.
 
Sophomore righty KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) fell to 1-4, despite throwing a complete-game effort over 110 pitches, allowing only three runs and 10 hits with three strikeouts and one walk. He retired the first 10 batters of the game in order.
 
Rivera and Wagner each had three hits in the opener as NJCU edged the Raiders in the hit column, 11-10. Rivera was 3-for-5 with an RBI double, Wagner was 3-for-4 and junior second baseman ROB ROMAN (Hoboken, NJ/ Saint Joseph of the Palisades) batted 2-for-4 with one run. Sophomore shortstop NICHOLAS D'ERRICO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) was 1-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
 
For R-N, Larangera, before he notched his first save of the season, batted 2-for-4 with a double and run and freshman third baseman Brian Kokos (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Murray chipped in a 2-for-3 effort with one run and junior catcher Steve Tamayo (South Orange, NJ/Columbia) added a 2-for-4 showing with one RBI.
 
NJCU left 11 men on base (R-N stranded five) including two in the first inning before taking a 1-0 lead in the second. Roman singled with one out and stole second with two outs before scoring when D'Errico prevailed in a nine-pitch at bat with an RBI single to center.
 
In the fourth inning, NJCU twice attempted a suicide squeeze and twice could not make contact but survived rundown plays at third base, yet were unable to score in the inning and left the bases full.
 
In the sixth, freshman center fielder Ryan Macfarlane (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township) singled with one out but was caught stealing. Then, R-N got its first big break of the day as Larangera was credited with an infield single when his shallow pop up in front of the pitcher's mound along the first base line was lost in the sun by DeMauro and fell for a  hit on a play that should have ended the inning. Kokos followed with a double to right center to tie the game and snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak. An RBI single up the middle by sophomore first base Graham Commesso (Belmar, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) gave the Raiders a 2-1 edge.
 
R-N got its second break in the top of the ninth with what proved to be the decisive run of the game. Murray singled with one out and freshman designated hitter Cameron Dias (Madison, NJ/Madison) bounced a tailor-made double play ball to shortstop that should have ended the inning. But D'Errico bobbled the ball going for the force and instead had to settle for the out at first, recovering to throw the ball while sitting in the infield. Murray advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the third run when Tamayo singled to left center.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Casiano had a pinch-hit single to right and D'Errico reached on a fielder's choice before moving to second on a ground ball for the second out. Senior right fielder PETE SENYSZYN (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) walked and Rivera came through with a double down the right field line into the corner to score D'Errico. Murray got to the ball quickly and strong throw forced NJCU to hold Senyszyn at third. With two runners in scoring position, Larangera entered in relief of Van Vliet and survived the 13-pitch battle with Niech to end the game.
  In the game two, NJCU scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning after the Raiders opened with a 2-0 lead, and expanded its margin throughout the game against five pitchers as the Knights breezed by the Raiders, 8-3.
 
Casiano, making his second career start, won his second game of the week to improve to 3-0 on the season. In six and 2/3 innings, he allowing three runs  and six hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 94 pitches (four hit batters). Casiano had his string of nine consecutive scoreless innings to begin his career end in the first inning, but has now thrown 15 2/3 innings while allowing just three runs.
 
Freshman NICK DEMARCO (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) continued his solid work out of the pen this year, fanning two and allowing one hit in 1.1 innings over 22 pitches. He stranded an inherited runner in the seventh when he entered. For the season, only 5-of-15 inherited runners have scored. Sophomore DELIO COUTINHO (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) had one strikeout against one walk while facing four batters in the ninth inning.
 
Niech led NJCU with a  2-for-4 effort, two RBIs, two runs, a walk and his third homerun of the season and second of the week. Wagner was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, one run and a double while Rivera batted 2-for-3 with two walks, one run and one RBI.
 
Also for the Knights, Roman, the designated hitter before moving to second in the game, had two RBIs, going 1-for-3 with a run and walk  and Senyszyn, who split time at second and third base, scored twice.
 
Senior righty Tyler Kwiatek (Raritan, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) lasted just two-thirds of an inning in a starting role, suffering the loss (1-1). He was charged with four runs on three walks over 28 pitches, allowing two hits with one K. Murray was 2-for-4 for R-N while Larangera, Commesso and Tamayo each drove in a run.
 
In the top of the first, R-N scored twice on three hits as Macfarlane singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Commesso. A walk and hit batter loaded the bases before Tamayo was hit by a pitch to force home the second run. NJCU turned one of its two double plays in the game to strand two men on.
 
In the bottom of the inning Senyszyn, Rivera and Niech walked in consecutive plate appearances with one out. After a two-out strikeout, Wagner tied the game when he doubled to right center, driving in Senyszyn and Rivera, before Roman followed with a go-ahead two-run single to center for a 4-2 margin, as Niech and Wagner were plated.
 
R-N cut the deficit to 4-3 in the top of the fourth as Larangera doubled to left center to make it a one-run game.
 
NJCU responded with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to extend the cushion to 6-3. In the fourth, Roman walked, senior center fielder MICHAEL PATTERSON (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway)  beat the pitcher with a bunt single and D'Errico singled to load the bases before sophomore third baseman MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) walked with the bases loaded. R-N got out of trouble in the inning to keep it at a two-run deficit when NJCU was thrown out twice at the plate—once on a failed squeeze play and later on a force.
 
In the fifth, Niech unleashed a 3-1 pitch over the right center field fence for a 6-3 advantage. An RBI single by Rivera in the eighth inning, and a ground out by Niech, knocked in the seventh and eighth runs. NJCU's three pitchers held R-N scoreless for the final five innings.
 
On Tuesday, April 9, NJCU will travel to Farmingdale, NY for a tough non-conference  game against Farmingdale State College—the 2012 Skyline Conference champions and NCAA East Regional finalists.