ALLAMUCHY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore first baseman Dan Berardi (Bridgewater, N.J./Middlesex) homered and drove in three runs and rookie right-handed pitcher Corey Nase (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) entered in a jam in the seventh inning before nailing down a 2.1 inning save as the New Jersey City University baseball team continued to win, knocking off Centenary College (NJ), 9-7, in a non-conference game on April 6 at Allamuchy Green Acres Park.
 
Junior third baseman Zach Buchholz (Colonia, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial-Iselin) extended his on-base streak to 36 consecutive games—the third longest in school history and among the longest ever in the NJAC.
 

NJCU improved to 13-6 as it scored four times in the third inning for a 6-2 advantage and two critical insurance runs in the seventh to make the lead 8-4. The Cyclones (11-9) scored three times in the seventh before Nase stopped the bleeding and NJCU tacked on a single run in the eighth for safe measures.
 
Senior designated hitter Andrew Niech (Avenel, N.J./Colonia) chalked up the 44th and 45th doubles of his career, batting 3-for-5 with two runs scored. With 57 combined extra-base hits (45 doubles, two triples, 10 homers), NJCU's all-time doubles leader becomes NJCU's all-time leader in total extra-base hits, breaking a 28-year-old school record. He also scored the 100th and 101st runs of his career.
 
Berardi smashed his third homer of the season to highlight NJCU's 14-hit attack, batting 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs. Junior catcher CJ Pulcine (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) scored twice, knocked in a run and batted 2-for-5 and Buchholz had two RBIs and a double. Junior second baseman Taylor Born (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) drove in two runs while junior left fielder Nick Ruscingno (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) was 3-for-5.
 
Sophomore righty Anthony Keri (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex), the second of five Gothic Knight pitchers, entered the game in the fourth inning. In 3.0 innings he struck out three, walked none and allowed just one hit over 35 pitches to improve to 2.0.
 
Nase claimed his third save of the season in just his sixth appearance. He becomes the seventh pitcher in school history to have at least three saves in a season and only one (Joseph Tarallo, 2009, 8 saves) had more. In 2.1 shutout innings, he did walk four, but he struck out one and did not allow a hit. After Centenary had a two-run double in the seventh to cut the lead to one, Nase entered the game. He walked the first batter after a seven-pitch battle that loaded the bases, then got a ground ball to end the inning. He got three quick outs in the eighth with a walk sprinkled in. He walked two in the ninth, including one with two outs, before striking out the last batter of the game looking.
 
Third baseman Casey Brown had two RBIs and batted 2-for-5 for the Cyclones while shortstop John Tierney was 2-for-4 with two runs. Designated hitter Nick Daniele walked twice and drove in two runs and right fielder Nick Koffel walked three times. Catcher Sean Donovan had a pair of hits.
 
James Graziani, the first of four Cyclones pitchers, took the loss (2-4). He allowed six runs and eight hits with a strikeout in 3.0 innings.
 
How It Happened:
Centenary struck first, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run double by Daniele. With two outs in the top of the second, Berardi singled, junior right fielder Joe Coutinho (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) was hit by a pitch, and Born tied the game with a two-run double down the right field line.
 
NJCU moved in front with four runs on six hits in the third. Niech doubled and Ruscingno singled before Buchholz doubled to left to give NJCU a 3-2 lead. An RBI single by Pulcine made it 4-2 and Berardi followed with an RBI single for a 5-2 margin before an infield single by Coutinho plated the sixth run.
 
Centenary cut the lead in half with two runs in the third. Brown doubled center fielder Glenn Allen tripled and scored on an RBI single by Donovan.
 

In the top of the seventh, Pulcine led off with a single and Berardi drilled the first pitch he saw over the left center field fence as the lead swelled to 8-4. In the bottom of the inning, Koffel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Brown doubled in two runs to cut the deficit to 8-7 before Nase came in and put out the fire. Niech got one of the runs back in the eighth when he singled, stole second and scored on a Buchholz sac fly.
 
OF NOTE:

• Zach Buchholz extends his on-base streak to 36 consecutive games. It is the third longest in NJCU history and sixth longest ever in the NJAC. In second place at NJCU (fifth in NJAC) is teammate Eric Giordano with 38 games. The NJAC and school record is 50 straight games by Jose Fulgencio from 2007-08.
• With 57 career extra-base hits (43 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs), Andrew Niech broke NJCU's career mark for total extra-base hits. Hall-of-Famer Rich Levens (1986-88) had 55 extra-base hits (19 doubles, 18 triples, 18 homers).
• Andrew Niech, third in NJCU history in total hits, has 184 hits in 131 games.
• With 101 runs, Andrew Niech became the sixth Gothic Knight to score 100 times.

 
#NextKnightTime:
On Thursday, April 7, NJCU, after losing to No. 3/4 ranked Ramapo over the weekend at the start of New Jersey Athletic Conference play, by mere 6-5 and 3-1 margins, returns to conference action when it opens a two-day NJAC home-and-home series with Rutgers University-Newark (8-14, 0-2 NJAC) at 3:30 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium in Newark, N.J. NJCU swept the 2015 series, 11-9 and 6-2.