NEWARK, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior shortstop Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) unleashed a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie and the New Jersey City University baseball team completed a sweep of a two-day home-and-home New Jersey Athletic Conference series with Rutgers-Newark, winning 7-5, on April 6 at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. With the win, the Gothic Knights improve to 12-5 overall and at 3-1 in the NJAC are off to their best start to conference play in 26 years. NJCU was last 3-1 back in 1992 when it opened the year 6-1 in the league.
 
NJCU kept rolling, winning for the seventh time in eight games. Of its five losses this season, three are by one run, another came in 10 innings, and the fifth was in Florida after the team played three games in 18 hours. NJCU and Rutgers-Newark (6-14, 0-4 NJAC) each had eight hits in the game. The Scarlet Raiders stranded 13 men on base in the game.
 
LoGatto was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored, smashing his third homer of the season while stealing his 12th base in 12 tries.
 
Junior right-handed pitcher Anthony Carfora (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) won for NJCU in relief to improve to 3-0 on the year. In 4.1 innings, he allowed just one unearned run and three hits while striking out five (two walks) over 83 pitches.
 
Senior left-handed pitcher Mike Ramirez (Old Bridge, NJ/Saint Joseph-Metuchen), the offensive hero of game one of the series when he had five RBIs, including a three-run homer, began the game in center fielder where he was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. In entered the game in relief in the bottom of the ninth and retired all three batters he faced, striking out one, for his second save of the season. The ninth inning was the only inning RU-Newark did not have a base runner.
 
Junior catcher Jan Castellano (Prospect Park, NJ/Paterson Eastside) walked twice and had two steals. Junior third baseman Jesse Kraft (Nutley, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford) scored twice. Senior first baseman Dan Berardi (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), the NJAC Player of the Week, was 1-for-3 with his eighth double of the season and 33rd of his career.
 
Senior lefty Kyle Kafer (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown) was the third of four Gothic Knights to throw and struck out two against a walk in 2.0 innings. He allowed just one run and two hits. Junior righty Sean Gibney (Rutherford, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford) opened the game and struck out two in 1.2 innings.
 
For Newark, sophomore third baseman Kevin Tamsula (Piscataway, N.J.) and freshman catcher Chris Suleski (Rockaway, N.J.) each had two hits and junior shortstop Ryan Zucker (Mountainside, N.J.) scored twice. Senior center fielder Anthony Perconte (Westfield, N.J.) walked three times.
 
Senior righty Mike Zibrin (Middletown, N.J.) started and went 6.1 innings, allowing five runs and six hits with four K's (two walks) to fall to 1-4. LoGatto hit the winning homer off junior righty Casey Hanley (Woodland Park, N.J.).
 
MAJOR MOMENTS:

• Rutgers-Newark struck first with two runs in the bottom of the second. The Raiders had three hits in the inning, scoring on a Suleski single and a ground ball by sophomore left fielder John Klimowich (Fair Lawn, N.J.).
• NJCU answered, scoring twice on four hits in the top of the third to tie the game. Ramirez and Kraft singled and Castellano bunted to load the bags. A ground ball by junior second baseman Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) brought in a run before an infield single by LoGatto evened it at 2-2. The Raiders left the bases loaded in the third.
• NJCU scored a run in the fourth to claim a 3-2 lead and added a run in the fifth to go ahead by two runs. In the fourth, Berardi led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramirez. In the fifth, Castellano led off with a walk on a 3-2 pitch, stole second and third, and came home on a wild pitch for a 4-2 margin.
• Newark tied it with single runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Zucker reached on a fielder's choice, moved to third on a double by Tamsula, and scored on a passed ball.
• In the sixth, the Raiders loaded the bases with one out after a single, sacrifice, walk and hit by pitch. Senior right fielder Adam Tricarico (Piscataway, N.J.) was subsequently hit by a pitch to force in a run and tie the game at 4-4. But with the bags still full, Carfora struck out junior designated hitter Luke Magliaro (Fairfield, N.J.) on a 2-2 pitch and got Zucker to fly out to center.
• In the seventh, NJCU went ahead for good. Kraft was hit by a 3-2 pitch to leadoff the frame and moved to second on a sac bunt before moving to third on a wild pitch. With two away after a fly out, LoGatto unleashed a 2-0 pitch over the left center fence for a 6-4 lead.
• In the eighth, sophomore right fielder Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) hit a ground-rule double down the left field line and scampered home on a wild pitch for a 7-4 lead. RUN got a run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Magliaro before Ramirez slammed the door in the ninth.

 
NOTABLES:

• At 3-1, NJCU is tied for second place in the league with Montclair State after four games; Rutgers-Camden is 4-0.
• NJCU swept a series from Rutgers-Newark for the first time since 2015. The Raiders won both games in 2016 and 2017.
• Sophomore designated hitter Lenin Gomez (Edison, NJ/Edison) has an active 17-game on-base streak.
• Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) has an active 14-game on-base streak.
• Sophomore left fielder Bill Feehan (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro) had his 13-game on-base streak snapped in the win.
• Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) extended his hitting streak to 11 games, matching Pulcine for the longest on the team this season.
• Jan Castellano (Prospect Park, NJ/Paterson Eastside), Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) and Mike Ramirez (Old Bridge, NJ/Saint Joseph-Metuchen) each have an active 11-game on-base streak.
• NJCU is 7-1 with Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) hitting leadoff and Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) batting second.
• NJCU is 6-0 with Bill Feehan (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro) batting third in the lineup.
• NJCU is 7-1 with Dan Berardi (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) batting in the cleanup spot in the lineup.
• NJCU is 5-0 with Lenin Gomez (Edison, NJ/Edison) batting fifth.
• NJCU is 57-for-69 in stolen bases this season.
• Opponents are just 14 of 23 in steals this season and Castellano has thrown out nine of 21 attempted base stealers this year—42.9 percent.

QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
Head Coach Jerry Smith on NJCU's best start in the NJAC in 26 years: "I'm very happy for our guys, our coaches, and our institution. The hard work behind the scenes is being rewarded. We constantly remind the guys to appreciate what is, but remain hungry. We have goals and three conference wins was not one of them. So we have more work to do. We love and respect the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Each day is another day and another challenge. It's through these challenges that force us to grow and get better. Tomorrow we will be back at it again. We just need to put our blinders on and focus on what we need to do for that game. Each game is different and you need to have optionality in ways to get the desired result. Tomorrow may bring something new."

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU returns home to Jersey City on Saturday, April 7 to face William Paterson University in an NJAC doubleheader at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. The Pioneers will come in at 12-8 and 1-3 in the NJAC.

 
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