MADISON, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |The New Jersey City University baseball team was limited to one hit—a two-run sixth inning single by senior shortstop Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood), and the Gothic Knights dropped a non-conference makeup game to Drew University, 7-2, on April 10 at Doc Young Field.
 
Drew improved to 16-10, defeating a New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent for the second straight day after winning at Montclair State (7-5) on April 9. The defeat drops NJCU to 12-9 overall.
 
Drew scored twice in the second and fifth innings and after NJCU cut the lead in half (4-2), the Rangers capped their victory with single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames. The game was a makeup of a March 21 postponement.
 
Senior left-handed pitcher Jendy Castillo (Newark, N.J.) won for Drew, allowing two runs and just one hit, striking out seven and walking four, to even his mark at 3-3. Junior Vinny Carlesi (Byram Township, N.J.) and senior lefty Davis Fouts (Coral Springs, Fla.) each tossed a hitless inning of relief.
 
Senior right fielder Mike Pettigrew (Kearny, N.J.) and senior third baseman Eric DiPietro (Devon, Pa.) each drove in two runs while senior shortstop Zach Lipshitz (Scotch Plains, N.J.) batted 2-for-3. Drew managed just eight hits in the win.
 
Drew jumped on top in the bottom of the second. After a one-out walk to DiPietro, a two-run homer to left by Pettigrew, his first of the season, made it 2-0.  NJCU's only error of the game led to a pair of unearned runs in the fifth inning. An RBI groundout by DiPietro made it 4-0.
 
The Gothic Knights cut the lead in half in the sixth. With one out, senior catcher Mike Albunia (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic), making his second start behind the plate this season, and senior third baseman Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) both walked. With two outs, both advanced into scoring position on a balk. LoGatto broke up the no-hitter and shutout with one swing, a clean single up the middle, to cut the deficit to 4-2.
 
But Drew doubled back-to-back in the bottom of the sixth—the second by sophomore second baseman Cole Bosch (Fair Lawn, N.J.) pushed the lead to 5-2. An RBI single by freshman left fielder Ryan Nagle (Bridgewater, N.J.) in the seventh and two-out RBI double by DiPietro in the eighth put the game out of reach.                                               
 
Senior righty Nate Facey (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) suffered his first loss of the season (2-1), only allowing two earned runs and two hits in 4.0 innings. He struck out four but walked five. Four other Gothic Knight relievers made appearances, each allowing a single run. Pulcine walked twice for NJCU in the leadoff slot. Junior right fielder Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) stole his 23rd base of the season in defeat.
 
UP NEXT:
NJCU plays its third of six games in a five-day span when it hosts William Paterson University (15-9, 2-4 NJAC) in the opening game of an NJAC home-and-home series on Thursday, April 11 at 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. Live stats are available at https://njcugothicknights.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary. Video will not be available for this game as NJCU is hosting William Paterson in a softball doubleheader at the same time.
 
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