AUBURNDALE, FL (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior right-hander
KEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) needed five pitches to record four outs with a little help from his defense in the final 1.1 innings of relief as
New Jersey City University opened its 2014 spring baseball trip with a 6-5 decision over Juniata College on March 8.
DeMauro earned his first save of the season and third of his career to preserve the first career victory for junior left-hander
DELIO COUTINHO (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), who struck out eight batters in 5.2 innings in his second start of the season (1-0).
NJCU scored four times in the third and twice in the seventh and overcame two runs in the sixth and two in the eighth by the Eagles.
Each team collected 10 hits. Six of NJCU's 10 hits came from three players. Freshman left fielder
ERIC GIORDANO (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) was 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the sixth slot while sophomore
catcher ANDREW NIECH (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) batted 2-for-4 with a run scored, RBI and walk in the cleanup hole.
Junior center fielder/pitcher
MICHAEL MARTUCCI (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) batted 2-for-4 with a run and walk in the leadoff slot—the 98
th and 99
th of his 76-game Gothic Knight career.
Martucci also struck out two batters in the bottom of the seventh in his only inning of relief.
Leading 6-5 in the bottom of the eight,
DeMauro entered in relief with two outs and a man on first.
Joe Sforza doubled on the second pitch through the left side of the infield but Juniata tried to score from first and paid for that decision when
Martucci hit the cutoff man—freshman shortstop
ZACH BUCHHOLZ (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin)—who threw out
Dan Gray at the plate with a relay throw to
Niech, preserving a one-run lead.
In the ninth, Juniata center fielder
Cody Krepps led off with a single and with two outs advanced to third after a ground out and wild pitch. But with the tying run 90 feet away,
DeMauro got the out he needed, forcing a pop up by
Derek Heath to
Buchholz at short.
Coutinho, one of five Gothic Knights to pitch, went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs over just five hits while fanning eight and walking four over 114 pitches. Junior righty
NICHOLAS D'ERRICO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and
Martucci pitched the end of the sixth and seventh innings before freshman
MARK PETRUCELLI (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Queen of Peace) ran into trouble in the eighth in his collegiate debut.
Krepps batted 3-for-5 for the Eagles while
Sforza was 2-for-4.
DeYulius, a senior righty, took the loss (0-2), allowing four runs and six hits in 2.2 innings while walking four (one K) over 66 pitches.
Wayne Hydak allowed two runs and two hits, walking three (three strikeouts) in 3.1 innings of relief before
Nathan Strom threw the final 3.0 innings, keeping NJCU off the scoreboard against two hits, two strikeouts and two walks.
NJCU burst out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as eight men batted. After a leadoff walk to freshman third baseman
TAYLOR BORN (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield), Martucci dumped his 16
th career double down the right field line.
Born scored on an RBI groundout by junior first baseman
ALEX WEINSTEIN (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) and a single to left center by junior designated hitter
PAT SHELDRICK (Ocean Gate, NJ/Central Regional) knocked in
Martucci with the second run.
Niech singled up the middle and rookie second baseman
NICK RUSCINGNO (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) repeated that, producing an RBI single, scoring
Sheldrick. Ruscingno later came around with the fourth run on a
Giordano single to right center.
Juniata got a run back in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by
Krepps who drove in
Gray who was hit by a pitch. Juniata made it a 4-3 game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Leading 4-1 with two outs and the bases loaded,
Coutinho left in favor of
D'Errico who lost a battle with leadoff hitter
Sheridan Doan, who walked, forcing in a run. The next batter,
Brad Medellin was hit by a pitch, pushing the third run across and both runs were charged to
Coutinho. But after struggling with the first two inherited runners,
D'Errico struck out
Gray swinging to preserve the lead.
NJCU got much needed insurance in the top of the seventh.
Sheldrick walked and was pinch run for by freshman
DMITRI RUEGER (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) who scored on a double to left by
Niech. NJCU made it a 6-3 differential when
Giordano singled through the left side to drive in
Niech and
Buchholz followed with a double to put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out before
Giordano was caught stealing at home.
Juniata made it a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by
Medellin who later scored on an infield error—although the run would have come in on the
Sforza double.
DeMauro's subsequent relief effort was enough for NJCU to hold on for a one-run win after losing two early games by one and two runs, respectively.
NJCU faces University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. in Winter Haven, FL.
