ABINGTON, Pa. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University continued as one of the hottest teams in the Mid-Atlantic on April 7 as the Gothic Knight baseball club scored nine times in the first two innings and reached double figures in run production for the eighth time this season as NJCU handed host Penn State Abington an 11-9 non-conference loss in a game called after six innings due to rain.
 
NJCU is 10-8 after 18 games for the second time in three years (2013) but have done this while recovering from a 3-7 start. The Knights have won three games in a row. The Nittany Lions, members of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), dropped to 5-13.
 
A day after breaking NJCU's all-time career doubles record a full year and a half faster than the previous record holder, junior catcher Andrew Niech (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) was not resting on his laurels, batting 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs, a walk and his 33rd career double in game 93. He upped his career hits mark to 127, good for 17th place.
 
Senior third baseman Michael Martucci (Bayonne, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) moved into sole possession of third place in school history with 169 hits (128 games), batting 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs and rookie left fielder Dmitri Rueger (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) scored four times (1-for-2, 2 steals).
 
Sophomore right fielder Eric Giordano (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) extended his two-year consecutive games on-base streak to 32 straight, going 1-for-2 with a walk.  Senior first baseman Alex Weinstein (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) knocked in two runs and was 2-for-4, now with 126 career hits.
 
Designated hitter Anthony Pletscher was the top performer for Abington, batting 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two doubles. Right fielder Trey Guaglionona was 2-for-2 and shortstop Max German and catcher Tom Ditro each scored twice.
 
Sophomore right-hander Joe Stone (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin) started and went the first 1.1 innings (one earned run, two hits) before senior righty Tom Colaiacovo, Jr. (Helmetta, NJ/Southern Regional) claimed his second win in relief (2-0), allowing one earned run and three hits with a strikeout and walk in 3.1 innings.
 
Junior righty Azriel Andrickson (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen), the fourth NJCU pitcher, retired two batters, striking out one, to close the sixth inning and stall Abington's four-run comeback in the frame. With the game ending early, he earned his first save.
 
Christopher Bugieda took the loss (0-2), allowing nine runs and 10 hits in 2.0 innings, striking out three. Mike Scaringelli walked five, allowing two runs and one hit in the final 4.0 innings.
 
SCORING GLANCES: 
NJCU scored three times in the top of the first. Rueger was hit by a pitch, Niech singled for his 125th hit and Martucci singled down the left field line for a 1-0 lead. Giordano was hit by a pitch to extend his streak and Weinstein's 125th career hit made it 2-0 before an RBI groundout by sophomore second baseman Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) made it 3-0.

 
The Lions answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. A two-run double down the left field line by Pletscher shaved the deficit to one before Ditro, who walked, scored an unearned run on a groundout to tie it.
 
But NJCU countered with six runs in the second to seize the lead for good. With NJCU batting around (11 came up), freshman Chris Stevenson (Belmar, NJ/Red Bank Regional), the NJAC Rookie Player of the Week singled, sophomore shortstop Zach Buchholz (Colonia, NJ/JFK-Iselin) walked and Rueger loaded the bags with a bunt single. Niech singled down the right field line to punch two runs on the board and Rueger scored on a balk for a 6-3 lead. RBI singles by Martucci, Weinstein and Ruscingno were all part of a six-run, seven-hit attack as the Knights lead swelled to 9-3.
 
PS-A drew a little closer with two runs in the fourth before NJCU got those runs back with a Giordano RBI groundout in the fifth and a Niech RBI double in the sixth. Down 11-5, Abington scored four times on two hits against the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth. A hit and walk followed by an RBI single by Ditro got the Lions on the board and Pletscher doubled in two more to make it 11-8 before Andrickson entered in relief after a wild pitch moved a run to third. He struck out left fielder Brandon Mau for the second out before Pletscher scored from third on a two-out error. Andrickson got the Knights out of the inning with an infield pop out.
 
NJCU had back-to-back batters walk to open the seventh before the rains came and washed the game away.
 
OF NOTE:

• Michael Martucci, now with 169 career hits, passed Phil Zaffarano (1994-97, 167 hits) for third place in school history. He is eight hits shy of equaling Rob Gonzalez (177 hits, 2009-11) and 27 behind the record-holder Rob Sumner (196 hits, 2005-08). Martucci has reached base in 15 straight games.
• Weinstein and Niech both entered the game with 124 career hits. Next on the hits list in 16th place is Romano Lake (1987-90, 134 hits).

• Eric Giordano has now hit safely in 16 of 18 games this season and 45 of 55 career games. His 32-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. It is the third longest known streak in Division III history.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
After previously knocking off No. 30 Rowan on Saturday, NJCU faces its stiffest test yet when it faces No. 5/8 ranked Kean in day one of a home-and-home NJAC series on Thursday, April 9 at 3:30 p.m. in Union. Kean (20-6, 4-2 NJAC) is ranked No. 5 by D3baseball.com and eighth by the American Baseball Coaches Association. The Cougars are winners of 11 of their last 13