JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior first baseman Andrew Niech (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) had four hits and homered for the second straight day while freshman left-handed pitcher Kyle Kafer (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) tossed five masterful innings for his second win as the New Jersey City University baseball team bounced back from a lengthy extra inning loss yesterday to defeat St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn), 8-4, on March 23 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
Kafer threw no-hit baseball for the first four innings as NJCU improved to 8-4 in a game that needed just two hours and 19 minutes to complete. The Bears dropped to 5-6 after the non-conference setback. Junior left fielder Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) batted 3-for-4 in the win.
 

NJCU scored three runs in the second and a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth before adding three insurance runs in the seventh. The Knights led 8-1 before SJCBK scored three in the top of the ninth.
 
Kafer (2-0) allowed just one run and three hits in 5.0 innings with three strikeouts and one walk over 73 pitches.
 
The Knights had 14 hits behind Niech who batted 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. It was the seventh time in his career he's had at least four hits in a game as he upped his career total to 173 hits, 51 extra base hits and seven homers.
 
Junior third baseman Taylor Born (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) was 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI and junior catcher CJ Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) had two hits (2-for-4) with a run and RBI. Sophomore first baseman Dan Berardi (Bridgewater, NJ/Middlesex) scored twice.
 
Sophomore righty Anthony Keri (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) entered the game as the second reliever in the sixth inning after a pair of four-pitch walks and got NJCU out of the frame. He threw the final 4.0 innings to claim a save. Over 38 pitches he allowed two earned runs and four hits with two strikeouts. He had given up just one hit through his first 3.1 innings.
 
Freshman right fielder Anthony Camerada (Staten Island, NY) was the lone SJCBK with multiple hits, coming off the bench to bat 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
 
SJCBK used four pitchers. Sophomore lefty Thomas Pallatto (Oceanside, NY) was the losing pitcher (0-1), allowing four runs and eight hits in 5.0 innings with two strikeouts and a walk. SJCBK pitching was called for four balks in the loss.
 
Scoreless through one, NJCU scored three runs on four hits in the second inning. Berardi walked with one out, Ruscingno singled and junior second baseman Jeff Reinecke (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) doubled down the left field line to drive in the lead run. After Ruscingno was caught at the plate on a squeeze play, Born doubled home Reinecke for a 2-0 lead. Niech followed with an RBI single to center for a 3-0 margin before the Knights stranded a pair on the bases.
 

SJCBK got on the board with its first three hits of the game in the fifth inning. The third single, off the bat of Camerada, drove in a run. Kafer successfully worked out of trouble, striking out the next batter looking before a fly out ended the threat.
 
Niech launched the second pitch he saw in the bottom of the fifth over the right field fence for a 4-1 advantage. NJCU added another in the sixth when Berardi and Ruscingno had back-to-back singles and freshman shortstop Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood), who entered the game for defense, had a sacrifice fly.
 
Three more runs came home in the seventh. Junior right fielder Joe Coutinho (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) singled with one out and advanced two bases on back-to-back balks before junior shortstop Zach Buchholz (Colonia, NJ/John F. Kennedy Memorial-Iselin) was hit by a pitch to get on base for the first time. An RBI single by Pulcine made it 6-1. Berardi had a productive groundout to push across the seventh run before Ruscingno tacked on an RBI single for an 8-1 cushion.
 
SJCBK had three straight hits in the ninth, including an RBI triple by Anthony Camerada (Staten Island, NY) before scoring on a double by junior Michael Camerada (Staten Island, NY). An error led to the third run.
 
OF NOTE:

• Zach Buchholz extends his on-base streak to 29 consecutive games with the seventh inning hit by pitch.
• Andrew Niech is fourth in school history with 173 hits in 124 games. Next on the list: Rob Gonzalez with 177 hits from 2009-11. He has a 12-game hitting streak to open the season and 13 games overall.

 
#NextKnightTime:
NJCU heads to Madison, NJ for a non-conference road contest with Drew University (6-9) on Thursday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. NJCU won last season in Jersey City on April 1, 2015, 14-6. NJCU has won the last three meetings and the Knights are 3-1 against the Rangers in Jerry Smith's five years as head coach. Follow live stats (http://www.landmarkconference.org/sports/bsb/2015-16/boxscores/20160324_5kcd.xml) and live video (http://portal.stretchinternet.com/drew/portal.htm?eventId=280496&streamType=video).