UNION, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |  No. 5/8 ranked Kean University scored five times in the fourth inning and behind a complete game performance from Charles Thielmann defeated the New Jersey City University baseball team, 9-2, in game two of a two-day New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball series on April 10 at Jim Hynes Stadium.
 
Kean (22-6, 6-2 NJAC) sweeps the series, winning the opener, 6-3, and won for the 13th time in 15 games. NJCU fell back to .500 at 10-10 (3-5 NJAC). The contest was moved from NJCU's grass Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex in Jersey City earlier in the day due to rain. Kean is ranked No. 5 by D3baseball.com and eighth by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
 
In defeat, sophomore shortstop Zach Buchholz (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) was 3-for-3 and senior third baseman Michael Martucci (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) batted 3-for-4 to up his career hits mark to 174 in 130 games. Senior first baseman Alex Weinstein (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) was 2-for-4 with a solo home run—his second of the year and seventh of his career.
 
Sophomore right fielder Eric Giordano (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) had an infield RBI single and extended his two-year consecutive games on-base streak to 34 straight.
 
Thielmann (4-1) went the distance for Kean, allowing two runs and 11 hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 96 pitches.
 
Freshman right-hander Jose Ortiz (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) took the loss (1-2), allowing the first seven runs and 11 hits in 4.0 innings. Junior righty Jhon Garcia (Leonia, NJ/Liceo Carlos Soublette; Caracas, Venezuela) threw the final 4.0 innings, allowing two runs and five hits with a strikeout and two walks.
 
Right fielder Ryan Kelley led the Cougars, going 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs and second baseman Tom McGuckin went 2-for-5 with two runs. Shortstop Chris Amato was 3-for-3 with a run scored.
 

Also for the Cougars, first baseman Salvatore Taormina was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Catcher Michael Kendall was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI. Kean had 16 hits.
 
SCORING GLANCES:
Kean scored twice in the first inning on RBI singles by Kelley and third baseman Matt Krupa and had four hits in the inning, but did its damage in the fourth, scoring five times on five hits. Kean had three RBI singles in the frame, also scoring on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. Another wild pitch in the fifth allowed McGuckin who tripled to cross the plate.
 
NJCU got a run back in the sixth when rookie left fielder Dmitri Rueger (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) doubled, Martucci singled to center and Giordano singled to the pitcher to keep his streak alive and get the Knights on the board. Weinstein drilled a 2-out, 1-1 pitch over the left field fence in the top of the eighth before Kelley singled and scored on a pair of wild pitches for the final run.
 
OF NOTE:

• Michael Martucci, now with 174 career hits is in third place in school history. He is three hits shy of equaling Rob Gonzalez (177 hits, 2009-11) and 22 behind the record-holder Rob Sumner (196 hits, 2005-08). Martucci has reached base in 17 straight games.
• Alex Weinstein has 129 career hits and Andrew Niech has 127. Next on the hits list in 16th place is Romano Lake (1987-90, 134 hits).
• Eric Giordano has now hit safely in 17 of 20 games this season and 46 of 57 career games. His 34-game on-base streak is the second longest in NJCU and New Jersey Athletic Conference history. The NJCU and conference mark is 50 games by Jose Fulgencio from March 10, 2007 to March 16, 2008, which is also the third longest known streak in Division III history.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
On Saturday, April 11, NJCU takes to the road for an NJAC doubleheader against The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ at 11:30 a.m. The Lions enter at 8-10, 1-4 NJAC.