JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior left-hander Delio Coutinho (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) struck out 13 batters but left the game after 7.0 innings on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision. His younger brother made sure his effort wouldn't be wasted. Sophomore designated hitter Joe Coutinho (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) produced a two-out, go-ahead, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning and for the second consecutive day, the New Jersey City University baseball team rallied in their final at bat for a win over New Jersey Athletic Conference rival Rutgers University-Newark as NJCU scored five times in the eighth to stun the Scarlet Raiders, 6-2, on April 3. After winning 11-9 on April 2 in Newark, NJCU posted a season sweep of the Raiders for the first time since 1989.
 
NJCU evens its overall (7-7) and NJAC (2-2) marks and wins for the fourth consecutive day. It was the first time this year NJCU won a game without scoring in double figures. In a roller coaster ride of results, NJCU has now countered a three-game losing streak with three straight wins, and then followed it with a four-game skid answered with four consecutive victories.
 
The game was the second of a two-day NJAC home-and-home series and moved from NJCU's grass Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex to the city's turf Caven Point Athletic Complex due to rain. It ended up being a good move as only three of five scheduled NJAC games were able to be played on the day.
 In addition to sweeping RUN for the first time in 26 years, the game was historic for three players. Delio Coutinho struck out 10 or batters in a game for the fifth time in his career—four in the last two years since recovering from 2012 Tommy John surgery—and finished one strikeout shy of matching his own modern-day program record of 14. In the process, Coutinho vaulted over two players to move from sixth to third in school history with 141 strikeouts in only 100 innings pitched.
 
Junior catcher Andrew Niech (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) was the second to make program history. He was 2-for-4 with a run scored and in the bottom of the sixth, extended his on-base streak to 18 consecutive games with a long double to right center. The double was the 29th in his career in just 89 games and ties the all-time program standard of 29 set by Nick Cucinello in a 134-game career that spanned 1990-93.
 

Meanwhile, freshman righty Anthony Keri (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) achieved a notable record of his own. Keri, the winner in relief in game one of the series yesterday became the first known Gothic Knight pitcher to win back-to-back NJAC games since the league went to a two consecutive game setup in 2011. Additionally he is the first NJCU pitcher on record in the 68-year history of the program to win two games in two days against any opponent.
 
Keri (3-2) tossed 1.2 innings of one-hit ball, facing six batters over 19 pitches. When he entered the game in mid-count in the top of the eighth as the fourth and final NJCU pitcher, the Raiders led 2-1 and had runners on second and third with one out and an inherited 2-1 ball-strike situation. He got NJCU out of the frame with a ground ball back to the mound that forced the runners to hold up and a foul pop fly to third to keep NJCU within arm's length.
 
A day after securing a three-pitch strikeout save in game one in Newark, Delio Coutinho went 7.0 innings for NJCU, striking out 13 over 141 pitches but was a bit wild with eight walks. He allowed two runs and five hits in the no-decision. Two other pitchers faced three batters (11 pitches in relief) before Keri got the call to the bullpen.
 
Coutinho struck out six batters through the first 2.2 innings, including four looking, before giving up his first two hits of the game. After falling behind the first batter of the sixth inning, he roared back to strike out the side and had 12 K's at that point but trailed 2-0. Coutinho struck out his 13th batter in the top of the seventh before stranding two more runners (11 through seven).
 
NJCU did not have a hit until the fifth inning and only Niech and sophomore second baseman Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck), who was 2-for-3 with a run, had multiple hits.
 
Sophomore right fielder Eric Giordano (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) waited until the last possible moment to extend his two-year on-base streak to 28 consecutive games and his hitting streak to 21 straight, while hitting safely for the 13th time in 14 games this season. The hit was a big one as he was the third straight for NJCU to open the five-run eighth inning.
 
Joe Coutinho's only hit was the go-ahead run in the eighth. Senior first baseman Alex Weinstein (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) walked twice and had a game-tying RBI sacrifice fly in the eighth. Senior third baseman Michael Martucci (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) had his 165th career hit (124 games) and also walked twice.
 
Newark senior righty Andrew Nasti (Weehawken, NJ) no-hit NJCU for the first four innings and pitched exceptionally until running into trouble in the eighth. In 7.2 innings he allowed three earned runs (six total) and eight hits with four walks and three strikeouts on 115 pitches in the loss (0-3).
 
Junior right fielder Cameron Dias (Madison, NJ) was the lone Raider with multiple hits (2-for-4, RBI). Junior second baseman Gerry Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ) walked twice.
 

Rutgers-Newark threatened in the first when three of the first four batters walked. But Coutinho struck out two batters looking and then got a groundout to first to end the threat and strand the bases full. Newark moved ahead in the second when freshman first baseman Justin Marks (South Plainfield, NJ) singled with two outs and stole second before Dias hit a long double to left center on a 2-2 pitch to give RUN a 1-0 lead.
 
RUN threatened again in the top of the fourth after a pair of walks. But with two outs, junior center fielder Billy Taylor (Allendale, NJ) popped a ball 20 feet off the ground between the mound and home plate, and Coutinho made a sliding catch sprinting off the mound to end the inning.
 
Nasti did not allow a hit through the first 4.0 innings and just two baserunners (two walks). In the fifth, RUN drew a leadoff walk before back to back singles loaded the bags with one out. Junior Ryan MacFarlane (Freehold, NJ) hit a shallow sacrifice fly to right and Giordano's throw to the infield was good but bobbled before it could reach home plate, allowing Patrizio to cross for a 2-0 lead. Had the ball not been bobbled, the runner likely would have been thrown out at the plate. Coutinho struck out sophomore left fielder Chas Bohannon (Springfield, NJ) on his 100th pitch to end the fifth and strand two runners. It was his ninth strikeout (against six walks).
 
NJCU finally got something going in the bottom of the fifth. Weinstein drew a leadoff walk and Ruscingno collected the Knights' first hit of the game when he ripped a pitch over the outstretched glove of the Raiders' third baseman. But a fielder's choice at third and a strikeout swinging at a pitch in the dirt stranded two more runners. In the bottom of the sixth, Niech tied the career program record with a long double to right center and Martucci followed with a walk before Giordano flew out to left.
 
Another chance came for NJCU in the bottom of the seventh, Weinstein and Ruscingno had back-to-back first-pitch leadoff singles. Joe Coutinho hit a first pitch to second for a potential double play but when the fielder had to take the ball to the bag himself, runners were safe on the corners with one out. The next batter grounded to third and RUN attempted an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. But the throw to first pulled the first baseman off the bag and Weinstein scored to cut the deficit in half (2-1).
 
That led to the dramatic eighth. Niech singled to right with one out and Martucci hit a rocket into the right center gap for a long single. Giordano, in his last chance to extend the streak, singled through the left side to load the bases. Weinstein lined a shot into right center for a game-tying sacrifice fly that drove in Niech. With two outs, Ruscingno was hit by a pitch on a 2-2 count to load the bases again. On a 1-2 pitch Joe Coutinho singled to right to score Martucci for a 3-2 lead.
 

With the bases loaded and the runners in motion on a 3-2 pitch, sophomore Taylor Born (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield), in his first at-bat of the game, chopped a grounder to short that should have gotten the Raiders out of the inning down by just a run. But the throw by MacFarlane was bounced to first and with the runners going, the miscue cleared the bases, giving NJCU three more runs and a 6-2 lead. The five-run eighth inning comeback came after rallying for four runs in the eighth in game one of the series. The error extinguished RUN's hopes of a comeback and in the ninth, Keri got two fly ball outs before Giordano made a sliding catch on a line drive to right to end it.
 
QUOTES:
 
Head Coach Jerry Smith (fourth season):
 
On the win: "We talk a lot in our program about being process-oriented and currently you can see the process evolving from competing to winning. Close games are something we become accustomed to, but the last two games in this series we came out on top. Our guys have showed poise, composure, and resolve over the course of the last two days. We now must continue to commit to the next game. Learn and move on is the motto in this conference because all nine opponents bring a unique challenge."   
 
OF NOTE:

• NJCU last swept a season series from Rutgers-Newark with 9-8 and 13-1 decisions in 1989.
• The last Gothic Knight pitcher to beat opponents in consecutive games (not days) was Delio Coutinho with victories over Centenary (9-7) and FDU-Florham (7-4) on May 2 and 6, 2014.
• With 165 hits in 124 games, Michael Martucci is in fourth place in school history in hits. Next up is Phil Zaffarano (1994-97) with 167 hits.
• Alex Weinstein hit safely for the 11th time in 14 games this year. He moved into a share of 22nd place in school history with 119 hits, passing Anthony Caivano (2002-05). He matched Rick Pizzuti (1997-99) on the list.
• Andrew Niech's two hits give him 118 in 89 games for a share of 24th place. Now one behind Weinstein, he equaled Anthony Caivano on the list and passed Steve Stiller (2001-04, 117 hits).
• Eric Giordano has now hit safely in 42 of 51 career games. He already has 65 career hits.
• Most career doubles in NJCU history:

  • 1.	29, Andrew Niech (2013-15)
    	29, Nick Cucinello (1990-93)
    3.	28, Eric Martinez (1996-98)
    	28, Phil Zaffarano (1994-97)

• The most strikeouts in NJCU history:

  • 1.         196, Jack Nagurka (1983,85-86) 2.         145, Nelson Maldonado (2009-12) 3.         144, Matt Baker (1981-84) 6.         141, Delio Coutinho (2012-15) 4.         132, Anthony Principato (1986-89) 5.         129, Wendell Rodriguez (2010-13) 7.         125, Alberto Cajide (1974-75) 8.         121, B.J. Fearon (1994-96) 9.         112, Rob Motacki (2004-06) 10.        104, Scott Rhodes (1991-93) 11.        103, Andy Ortiz (1982) 12.        101, Kevin DeMauro (2012-15)

WHAT'S NEXT?
On Saturday, NJCU hosts Rowan University (12-6, 2-1 NJAC, lost 1) in a conference doubleheader at 11:30 a.m. at the Gerrity Complex. Rowan's home game on Friday vs. Rutgers-Camden was rained out. Rowan is currently ranked No. 30 in Division III by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).