JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior first baseman Alex Weinstein (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) was 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs and two doubles while sophomore second baseman Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) got the bat going with three RBIs and 23 players contributed to another win as the New Jersey City University baseball team did all of its damage in the first five innings in a 14-6 triumph over Drew University on April 1.
 
NJCU won for back-to-back days to improve to 5-7, generating two runs in the second, and four more in the third, before a two-run fourth inning and a six-run spot in the fifth closed the door on Drew (6-12). The Rangers scored just three times in the first seven innings and had only one earned run in the game. The game at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex took more than three and a half hours to complete.

NJCU has scored in double figures in all five wins this season—a combined 73 runs in its wins. Meanwhile the Gothic Knights totaled only 23 runs in their seven losses.
 
Weinstein, who was also involved in a unique 3-9 putout during a defensive shift in the game, posted his ninth and 10th doubles of the season and boosted his career hits to 116 while Ruscingno broke out of a slump with a 2-for-3 effort reaching base three times.
 
Meanwhile, senior Michael Martucci (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep), who played third, short and center field, scored three times and was 2-for-4 to increase his career hits mark to 161 in 122 games to move into sole possession of fourth place in program history. He has hit safely in nine straight games.
 
Sophomore right fielder Eric Giordano (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) extended his hitting streak to 10 straight games while reaching base safely for the 26th consecutive game. He has hit safely in 11 of 12 games this season after having a 15-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of the season. He was 1-for-2 with three runs, two walks and one RBI in the win and had two putouts at first base as a right fielder in a defensive shift.
 
Also for NJCU, freshman Chris Stevenson (Belmar, NJ/Red Bank Regional), making his second career start—in consecutive days—was 2-for-5 and is batting 4-for-8 as a starter. Sophomore Zach Buchholz (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) had two RBIs and reached base twice.
 

NJCU showed the depth of its pitching staff by utilizing eight pitchers in the win. Sophomore right-hander Joe Stone (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) started but didn't qualify for the win, going 3.0 innings. He allowed one earned run and four hits with a pair of strikeouts and walks. NJCU's seven relievers to follow did not allow an earned run and just six hits in the final six innings.
 
Senior transfer righty Tom Colaiacovo, Jr. (Helmetta, NJ/Southern Regional), the second reliever used, was credited with his first win as a Knight (1-0). Entering the game with two men on and no outs in the fourth with a 6-3 lead, he forced a line drive double play and a pop up in his lone inning of work. He was one of four NJCU pitchers to not allow a hit.
 
Also of note in relief, freshman Sean Gibney (Rutherford, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford), who made his career pitching debut a day earlier, remained remarkably perfect in 1.2 innings of relief, striking out all five batters he has faced as a collegian. In this win he entered the game with two runners in scoring position in the sixth inning and struck out both batters he has faced over eight pitches. Junior righty Jhon Garcia (Leonia, NJ/Liceo Carlos Soublette; Caracas, Venezuela) retired the only batter he faced on the only pitch he threw with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning.
 
Drew left 15 runners on base in the loss and despite collecting 10 hits, only junior second baseman Anthony Feltre (South Brunswick, NJ) had multiple hits (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 walk). Freshman infielder Isaiah Mateo (Hoboken, NJ) walked three times and was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
 
Drew used five pitchers. Senior righty Leo Ruiz (Perth Amboy, NJ) left down 2-0 after 1.1 innings but got bailed out of a loss when Drew scored two unearned runs on a two-out throwing error in the third. The second pitcher, sophomore righty Ryan Zink (Glen Ridge, NJ) was charged with the loss (0-1), giving up two runs without a hit after walking three batters in 0.2 innings. Of the subsequent relievers, the only effective pitcher for Drew was sophomore righty Kevin Skettini (Midland Park, NJ) who allowed just one earned run and four hits in 3.1 innings, striking out three.
 
NJCU got on the board in the second inning. After Giordano walked and Weinstein singled, Giordano came home on a fielder's choice and Weinstein later scored on a failed pickoff that was muffed at first base.
 
After Drew tied it on the throwing error in the top of the third, NJCU immediately regained the lead with four runs in the bottom of the third. Martucci and Giordano walked and Weinstein ripped a double into the right center gap to put NJCU back on top. An RBI single by Ruscingno made it 4-2 before a two-out, two-run single by Buchholz extended the lead to four runs (6-2).
 
After two leadoff walks and an RBI single by Mateo cut the lead in half (6-3), Colaiacovo closed the door, stranding two runners on base. After giving away two runs with a throwing error in the third inning, NJCU got both runs back in a similar two-out situation in the fourth to claim an 8-3 lead.
 
In the fifth, NJCU put the game away as 10 batters came to the plate. Martucci and Giordano had RBI singles in the inning before Weinstein lofted a double to deep right field to make it an 11-3 game. A bloop two-RBI double down the right-field line by Ruscingno pushed the lead to 13-3 before scoring the final run on an error. Two NJCU errors in the eighth inning led to three unearned runs before Garcia came in two strand the bases loaded with one pitch.
 
QUOTES:
 
Head Coach Jerry Smith (fourth season):
 
On the win: "Consistent teams win and that is what we need to become—more consistent. To date our wins have produced offensive outburst of 11, 11, 12, 14, and 25 runs, so the capability is there; it's just developing that consistency. What creates those types of offensive numbers is the ability to hit up and down the lineup and in the past four seasons both pitching and hitting our depth is the biggest difference. To be able to run out eight different pitchers and get the off-the-bench production we have had offensively and mix and match starting lineups is a luxury that this team possesses."
 
OF NOTE:

• Game was a makeup of a March 26 rainout.
• With 161 hits in 122 games, Michael Martucci passed Hall-of-Famer Rich Levens (1986-88) for fourth place in school history in hits. Next up is Phil Zaffarano (1994-97) with 167 hits.
• Alex Weinstein hit safely for the ninth time in 12 games this year. He moved into 25th place in school history with 116 hits, passing Justin Pelka (1996-99, 114 hits).
• Junior catcher Andrew Niech (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) did not have a hit (0-for-4, 1 run, 1 walk) or a double and still is one double shy of matching the career school record of 29. His 112 hits in 87 games are tied for 27th place. Niech reached base for the 12th consecutive game this season and has reached base 16 straight times dating to last season (one shy of his career-best of 17 straight as a sophomore).
• Eric Giordano has now hit safely in 39 of 48 career games.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
On Thursday, NJCU begins a home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series with Rutgers-Newark. In game one of the series on April 2, NJCU visits the Scarlet Raiders (7-10, 0-2 NJAC) at Riverfront Stadium in Newark at 3:30 p.m.