MONTCLAIR, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior catcher Andrew Niech (Avenel, N.J./Colonia) moved into second place in program history with 196 career hits but Montclair State University scored five runs in the first three innings and defeated the New Jersey City University baseball team, 8-1, in the opening game of a home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series on April 21 at Yogi Berra Stadium.
 
Montclair evened its mark at 15-15 (6-5 NJAC) while NJCU fell two games under .500 (14-16) and remained winless in the league (0-11 NJAC). NJCU committed five errors in the setback.
 
Niech was 1-for-4 and equaled Rob Sumner (2005-08) for second place all-time with 196 hits. He is just four hits away from breaking the program record set last year.
 
Sophomore center fielder Dmitri Rueger (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) finish 2-for-3 with one run. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Anthony Keri (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex), the second of three pitchers used, made his 21st appearance in 30 games this season—now in the Top 10 in Division III this year.  
 
Freshman left-hander Kyle Kafer (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown) only allowed one earned run (five total) and six hits in 4.0 innings, but suffered the loss (2-3). He walked three batters.
 
Montclair's Donald Cusick earned the win (2-1), throwing 8.0 innings of work. Over 92 pitches he struck out four, did not issue a walk, and gave up just five hits. Josh Felix struck out two batters in the ninth.
 
MSU second baseman Joe Foote scored twice and was 2-for-5 with one RBI, third baseman Kevin Alonso was 2-for-4 with one run, and designated hitter Matt Long scored twice.
 
Key Moments
In the first inning, Rueger led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by junior left fielder Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck). Niech later singled to left for his 196th hit.
 
MSU erased the deficit and went ahead 2-1 when Long reached on Rueger's first error of the season and scored on an RBI single by Foote. A sacrifice fly by first baseman Keith Murphy pushed across the eventual winning run.
 
The Red Hawks scored two more runs in the second—the first on an RBI single by Long before an error pushed across the fourth run. MSU scored again on a third inning fielding error before adding two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.
 
OF NOTE:

• Andrew Niech has 196 hits in 142 career games to equal Rob Sumner (2005-08) with 196 hits. He need four to pass new all-time leader Michael Martucci (2012-15) who set the record last year with 199 hits. Niech has scored 105 runs with 96 RBIs.
• Junior left fielder Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) is now 38th in school history with 102 hits in 92 games.
• With his 21st appearance, Anthony Keri is one shy of the NJCU single-season record of 22 by Steve Hallam in 2009 and equaled by Pedro Garcia in 2013 and by Mark Petrucelli in 2014.

 
#NextKnightTime:
NJCU will host Montclair in day two of the series on Friday, April 22 at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.