JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University rallied twice against Kean University, forcing extra innings in game two before the schools split their 2018 New Jersey Athletic Conference opening weekend doubleheader on March 31  at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.
 
In game one, NJCU (9-5, 1-1 NJAC) trailed 4-0 before scoring five runs in the sixth inning and overcame Kean (10-13, 1-1 NJAC) by a 7-5 outcome.
 
In game two, Kean scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning to claim an 8-0 lead. NJCU whittled away over the next six turns at the plate and scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, even at 8-8. But Kean scored three runs in the top of the 10th and fended off NJCU, 11-8.
 
Senior first baseman Dan Berardi (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) was a combined 4-for-8 with three RBIs in the twinbill. As a result, he exceeded 130 career hits and 75 RBIs.
 
GAME 1: New Jersey City 7, Kean 5
Kean led 4-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth before the Gothic Knights tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Down 4-2, NJCU scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 7-4 lead and its pitching limited the Cougars to just one run in the final five innings.
 
NJCU capitalized on four Kean errors, scoring five unearned runs in the game, including four in the fifth inning.
 
Berardi (2-for-4) knocked in two runs, including a key two-out, two-run single that made it 7-4 while junior second baseman Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan), sophomore designated hitter Lenin Gomez (Edison, NJ/Edison) and junior third baseman/center fielder Jesse Kraft (Nutley, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford) each had two hits. Senior center fielder/left-handed pitcher Mike Ramirez (Old Bridge, NJ/Saint Joseph-Metuchen) had two RBIs, then locked down the win when he stranded the bases loaded in the top of the ninth for his first save of the season.
 
Senior first baseman Matt Krupa (Mahwah, N.J.) batted 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk for Kean while sophomore center fielder Derek Walker (Piscataway, N.J.) and freshman shortstop Brandon Johannessen (Roxbury, N.J.) had two hits apiece. Sophomore left fielder Frank LoGiudice (Edison, N.J.) scored twice in a leadoff role.
 
Senior lefty Kyle Kafer (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) earned the win (2-1), allowing five runs and eight hits in 6.0 innings, striking out three. Junior righty Jose Ortiz (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) struck out three (one walk) and allowed just one hit in 2.0 shutout innings of relief.
 
Freshman Justin Diefenbach (Barnegat, N.J.) had a no-decision, allowing two runs (one earned) and six hits in 5.0 innings, striking out three. Freshman right-handed pitcher Chris Perdoni (Jamesburg, N.J.) took the loss (0-1), allowing five runs (one earned) and one hit in 0.2 innings.
 
KEY MOMENTS:

• In the top of the first, LoGiudice led off with a walk and scored on an infield single by Krupa; junior shortstop Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) knocked it down on a dive but couldn't recover to throw in time.
• Walker led off the second with a double down the left field line before junior catcher Jan Castellano (Prospect Park, NJ/Paterson Eastside) picked him off second.
• Berardi and Gomez had back-to-back bloop singles on first pitches in the second inning but both were stranded after two K's and a ground out.
• In the third, Kean walked and doubled to put two runners in to scoring position. Sophomore third baseman Mike Fidanza (Staten Island, N.Y.) tried a squeeze bunt but it popped up in the air; Kafer made a diving stop then threw to third for a double play. With two outs, sophomore right fielder Nick Polizzano (South Plainfield, N.J.) slipped a single to second; Pulcine made a diving stop but couldn't make the throw in time and LoGiudice never stopped running, scoring all the way from second base. Polizzano scored on a double by Krupa for a 3-0 lead.
• In the fourth, Walker led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single through the left side by Johannessen.
• In the bottom of the inning, Gomez doubled to right center with one out. Sophomore right fielder Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) walked and a slow ground ball to second by Kraft went through the legs of the second baseman, allowing Gomez to score the first run.
• In the bottom of the fifth, Pulcine had a one-out bloop single and LoGatto doubled down the left field line. With two runners in scoring position, Ramirez grounded out to drive in a run (4-2).
• In the sixth, Pena walked with one out, stole second and scored on Kraft's team-leading seventh double of the season to make it 4-3. Two errors on one play allowed NJCU to put runners on the corners. Castellano walked to load the bases. LoGatto and Ramirez drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks with two outs to first tie the game at 4-4 and then take a 5-4 lead. Berardi slipped a two-run single up the middle to push the lead to 7-4.
• Kean got a run back in the top of the seventh before Ortiz in relief got a strikeout looking to end the frame with runners on the corners.
• Ramirez came on in relief in the ninth and got two quick outs. A single up the middle, walk and wild pitch put the tying runs in scoring position before an intentional pass loaded the bases. With the game on the line, he struck out freshman pinch hitter Ryan Ruziecki (Middletown, N.J.) swinging to win the game.

 
GAME 2: Kean 11, New Jersey City 8
In a bizarre game, NJCU trailed 8-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth. Berardi led off with a walk and with one out, Pena reached on an error when the Kean shortstop tried to set up a game-ending double play but muffed the play to put runners on the corners. With two outs, Pena swiped second base—his third steal of the game—and a throwing error saw the ball carom into center, allowing Berardi to score from third. When the center fielder overran the ball, Pena alertly came all the way around from second and slid in to tie it as Kean committed three errors in the inning.
 
But Kean got the runs back in the 10th. Ramirez had pitched brilliantly for NJCU, allowing just two hits in the first five innings he threw in relief. However, Kean countered with three runs on three hits in extras. A hit batter and a single by Fidanza on an NJCU mental mistake put two on. With two outs, LoGiudice doubled deep over the head of Pena in center to reclaim a 10-8 lead and he scored on an RBI infield single by sophomore catcher Chris Vetter (Matawan, N.J.) to make another NJCU comeback improbable.
 
LoGiudice led all players with four RBIs, batting 4-for-6 with a run scored and Fidanza scored three times, batting 3-for-5 with a walk and RBI. Vetter was 3-for-6. Johannessen and Polizzano each scored twice.
 
As a team, NJCU had eight stolen bases in the loss. LoGatto paced NJCU by batting 3-for-5 with two runs and two steals to make him a perfect 10-for-10 on the season. Pena had three steals (12 on the season), going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Gomez hit a two-run home run—his first of the season. Berardi batted 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk. Junior third baseman Matt Corsi (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) produced two RBIs.
 
Ramirez pitched well enough to win in relief but suffered a tough loss (1-1). In 6.0 innings in relief of NJCU junior righty Anthony Carfora (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South), who started, Ramirez allowed three runs and five hits—primarily in the 10th inning—with five strikeouts and four walks.
 
Freshman righty Jean Sapini (South Plainfield, N.J.) won in relief (2-2) after initially blowing the save. In 2.2 innings, he fanned four (one walk), allowing one hit and two unearned runs. Perdoni, the second of three pitchers used, was good in relief. In 2.0 innings, he struck out three, walked none, and allowed one unearned run and two hits.
 
KEY MOMENTS:

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  In the first, Fidanza singled, Krupa walked with two outs and LoGiudice singled to center as Kean scored in the top of the first for the second straight game.
• Kean added two runs in the third to gain a 3-0 lead. After a rundown play on a sac attempted erased a leadoff double and a single, freshman designated hitter Tim Huxen (Bakersfield, Calif.) doubled down the right field line and a second run came in when the relay throw was jarred loose by the slide at second.
• Freshman lefty Daniel Chiusano (Freehold, N.J.) started and retired the first eight batters. He did not allow a hit through three innings; NJCU's lone baserunner was a hit batter.
• In the fourth, Vetter singled and Johannessen doubled down the left field line. After intentionally walking the bases full, Fidanza drew a walk to force in a run for a 4-0 lead. Polizzano blooped an opposite field single against the shift. An error at third allowed two runs to score for a 5-0 lead before a ground-rule double by LoGiudice added an eighth run. Two runners were stranded in scoring position.
• Down 8-0, NJCU began its slow comeback. After LoGatto was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the fourth, Gomez ripped a 3-2 pitch straight down the left field line for a two-run shot and his first homer of the season. Berardi followed with a double down the left field line and he scored on a single through the left side by Pena.
• Pulcine and LoGatto singled with one out in the fifth but NJCU couldn't drive them in.
• NJCU drew closer in the sixth. Pena and freshman right fielder Mike O'Donnell singled and both came in on a two-run single by Corsi.
• In the seventh, LoGatto singled, stole second, moved to third on a throwing error by the pitcher checking him at the bag and scored when Berardi's high pop up into the sun fell behind the backpedaling shortstop; LoGatto's foot touched the plate before a tag could be applied. After Pena was hit by a pitch, he and Berardi pulled off a double steal to put the tying runs in scoring position but NJCU couldn't get a two-out hit, trailing 8-6.
• In the top of the eighth, a high hop single by Fidanza into the shift and an error at short put two runners on with one out. With the bases loaded after a second infield single—the only two allowed to that point by Ramirez—he used a curve ball to strike out the batter and escape the inning.
• NJCU put runners on the corners with two outs in the eighth before Gomez dribbled a ball foul that kicked off the edge of the grass and caromed back into fair territory for an unlucky out to end the threat,

 
NOTABLES:

• Dan Berardi (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) moved into 20th place in school history with 130 hits, passing former teammate Joe Coutinho (Colonia, N.J./Colonia), who graduated last year with 129 hits in 130 games from 2014-17.
• Berardi (76 RBIs) became the 21st Gothic Knight with at least 75 career RBIs.
• NJCU has 45 steals in 54 attempts this season. Opponents have only 12 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Jan Castellano (Prospect Park, NJ/Paterson Eastside) has thrown out an incredible 41.2 percent of runners trying to steal this season—seven of 17 attempts.
• Bill Feehan (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro), who had started the first 12 games this season, missed both games with an injury.
• NJCU fell to 1-2 in extra innings this season.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• On Tuesday, April 3 (4 p.m.), NJCU heads to Dover, Del. to face Wesley College, members of the Capital Athletic Conference.

 
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