FISHKILL, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University scored three times in the visitor's sixth inning to take a 5-0 lead and five Gothic Knight pitchers combined to limit Mount Saint Mary College (NY) to one run as NJCU extended its best start to a season in 35 years with a 5-1, non-conference victory on March 16 at Dutchess Stadium.
 
NJCU improved to 6-2—its best record after eight games since the 1981 season when then-Jersey City State was also 6-2. The 1980 club opened the year 6-1-1 and 9-2-1. MSMC fell to 4-8 with the loss.
 
Junior left fielder Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) led NJCU with two RBIs and two runs, batting 2-for-4 while junior right fielder Joe Coutinho (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), junior third baseman Taylor Born (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) and junior catcher CJ Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) had two hits apiece.
 
Sophomore right-hander Jose Ortiz (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) started for NJCU and threw 2.2 shutout innings, allowing two hits (one strikeout, one walk) before being forced to leave with an injury.
 
Junior righty Joe Stone (Piscataway, NJ/John F. Kennedy Memorial-Iselin), the third pitcher used for NJCU, picked up the win in relief (1-0). In 2.0 shutout innings, he allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one over 30 pitches.
 

Freshman left-hander Anthony Zicaro (Linden, NJ/Linden) earned his first collegiate save as he retired all seven batters he faced in 2.1 innings with one strikeouts. He entered the game as the fifth and final pitcher in the bottom of the seventh after a walk, infield single and hit batter loaded the bases and an RBI single by MSMC shortstop Tom Huvane (1-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB) got the hosts on the board. With bases still full and two outs, he coaxed a pop out to second base and went on to retire the final seven batters of the game in order, with four fly balls including a game-ending pop out.
 
Blue Knights center fielder Matt Cahill was the only home player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4. MSMC used five pitchers. Christopher Ruggiero lost (0-1), going the first 5.0 innings. He gave up two runs and five hits. Riley Strong struck out three batters but gave up three runs and four hits in his only inning of work.
 
NJCU got on the board in the first when sophomore center fielder Dmitri Rueger (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) led off with a walk, stole his 10th base of the season and scored on an RBI single through the left side by Coutinho.
 
In the fifth, Ruscingno led off with a single, stole second and scored the second run when freshman Matt Jacobsen (East Windsor, NJ/Hightstown) notched his first career hit—an RBI double down the right field line.
 
NJCU put the game away in the sixth with three runs on four hits. With one out, junior shortstop Zach Buchholz (Colonia, NJ/John F. Kennedy Memorial-Iselin) and Pulcine had back-to-back singles. A two-out, two-run single up the middle by Ruscingno pushed the lead to 4-0 before Born drive him in with an RBI double down the right field line.
 
OF NOTE:

• Jose Ortiz left the game with an injury in the bottom of the third.
• Zach Buchholz extends his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games.
• Dmitri Rueger extended his on-base streak to 18 consecutive games.
• Nick Ruscingno extended his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games.
• Andrew Niech, fifth in school history in hits, added another for his 164th. Next on the list in fourth place is Phil Zaffarano with 167 hits from 1994-97.

 
#NextKnightTime:
On Wednesday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m., NJCU will wear its Saint Patrick's Day green on the road in another non-conference game when the Knights meet Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.