New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MONTCLAIR, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In a way, the ninth inning of game two between New Jersey City University and Montclair State University on April 26 could be framed as the panoramic photo summarizing the 2014 Gothic Knight baseball season. NJCU led 3-2 entering the ninth before Montclair scored twice—including the winning run on a walkoff wild pitch—as MSU survived for a 4-3 victory in the New Jersey Athletic Conference final doubleheader for both teams. MSU won game one at Yogi Berra Stadium, 7-1. It was the third time in a week that a wild pitch in the eighth or ninth inning in a tied ballgame allowed the winning run to score in an NJCU loss.
 
Montclair (20-15, 13-5 NJAC), which won its fourth in a row and for the 12^th time in 14 games, clinched the No. 3 seed in the NJAC Tournament. NJCU (10-23, 4-14 NJAC) lost its third in a row and for the 11^th time in 12 outings. Game two was NJCU's first loss when leading after eight innings this season in 11 chances (10-1).
 
In a frustrating, injury-plagued season for NJCU,  eight of its last 11 losses have come by two or less runs, including four one-run setbacks. The Knights dropped to 2-6 in one-run games and 4-11 in contests decided by two runs or less.
 
Even more frustrating was how close the final NJAC standings played out with William Paterson University claiming the final playoff berth with 15 points. Had NJCU won the five NJAC games that it squandered a lead or tie in the eighth or ninth inning this season—a 7-5 loss at Richard Stockton on April 11, a 3-2 loss at Kean on April 12, 4-2 and 5-3 setbacks to William Paterson on April 19 and April 26 at Montclair—NJCU would have finished the season with 18 points and been the No. 5 seed in the NJAC Tournament. NJCU also lost a 1-0, 12-inning game to Kean.
 In the opener, NJCU pounded out 10 hits but could only plate a single run in the eighth inning. Montclair collected single runs in the second and third and two more in the fourth before putting the game out of reach with a three-spot in the seventh.
 
NJCU had the pitcher it wanted starting—junior left-handed ace

(Avenel, NJ/Colonia) was 3-for-3 with a run scored and was the lone Gothic Knight with multiple hits in a game where NJCU outhit Montclair, 7-6. Ruscingno and Buchholz both had an RBI while Giordano and Martucci were each 1-for-4 with a run scored. Long was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and one run for Montclair and Abreu scored twice.
 
After Montclair struck first in the third inning when Abreu reached on a two-out error, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Long, NJCU responded with two runs in the fourth inning to gain a 2-1 margin. Freshman third baseman TAYLOR BORN (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield), Martucci and Niech all singled and with the bases loaded, Ruscingno tied the game with a groundout. With two outs, Martucci and Ruscingno pulled off a delayed double steal, as Martucci swiped home.
 
Each team scored a single run in the seventh. Niech led off with a single for NJCU before scoring on a groundout by Buchholz to give NJCU a temporary 3-1 lead. After Montclair loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning on a hit by pitch, a single by catcher Anderson Rosa, and a walk, NJCU got a force at the plate for the second out before Rosa scored on a wild pitch to draw MSU within one, 3-2. With the bases loaded, Wagner struck out Reynolds to end the threat. MSU went in order in the eighth before the stunning ninth-inning finish.

NJCU will play six non-conference games to end the 2014 season. On Sunday, April 27, NJCU heads to Bethlehem, PA for a challenging doubleheader at #21/21 ranked Moravian College at 1 p.m. Both games will be seven innings.