MONTCLAIR, N.J. — On a beautiful, clear afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium today, Thursday, March 25, the New Jersey City University baseball team played a pair of non-conference games against Montclair State University. The first game went the hometown Red Hawks' way, 12-3, but game two was a completely different story. The two teams combined for 21 runs, 17 hits and nine errors over 11 innings of play before Montclair State eventually emerged victorious, 11-10, thanks to a three-run home half of the 11th.

Game 1
The first half of the doubleheader went the way of the Red Hawks (6-1) early, as they took a 9-0 lead over the Gothic Knights (2-7) after three innings of play. Junior Paul Tannucilli (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge), fresh off his career-best eight strikeout, seven-inning shutout win over Rutgers-Camden last Friday, March 19, was on the mound for NJCU, but things did not go his way. All nine runs were charged to the knuckleballer before he came out with one out left in the third. After that, five relievers combined for 5.1 innings of three-run ball, headlined by junior Tom Paul (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) — 1.1 scoreless — and freshman Michael Urbano (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains Fanwood) — no hits in 1.0 scoreless.

Offensively, the Gothic Knight bats finally got going in the top of the fifth when junior Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) blasted a two-out, two-run shot over the rightfield wall for his first home run of the season. NJCU got one more run across in the top of the seventh when senior Brandon Rivera (Aberdeen, N.J./Matawan Regional) hit a RBI single to center to plate sophomore Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) from second before being thrown out to end the inning trying to stretch it into a double.

Game 2 (The Tale of the Colon Brothers)
Now this is where the action began for the Gothic Knights. Sophomore Justin Wiltsey (Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Hamilton West) got the start, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and striking out five over 6.0 innings. Only two pitchers saw time on the rubber for NJCU in this one, seeing as six were used in the initial game of today's twin bill. After a scoreless first, rookie Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) got the scoring started with a two-out RBI single to right-center to plate fellow freshman Nick Chiappisi (Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township) from second after the latter stole a base after reaching on an infield single to third the previous at-bat. Unfortunately, the Red Hawks took a 5-1 lead after five innings thanks to a three-spot in the third and one run in each of the bottom halves of the fourth and fifth.

However, the Gothic Knights were able to claw their way back into the game, thanks in part to a three-run top of the sixth inning. Red hot Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) led off the inning with another homer, his second of the day and the season, which leads the team. Later in the inning, with runners on first and second and two outs, Chiappisi reached base on a single, but made his way all the way to third following a pair of Montclair errors on the play. This resulted in both Vizzoni and sophomore Caleb Ware (Newark, N.J./University), a pinch runner at the time, scoring on the play. NJCU then tied it up at 5-5 in the top of the seventh when Rivera hit a double down the line in left to put runners on second and third. A wild pitch following a pitching change allowed junior Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) to score from third.

The Red Hawks took the lead, 6-5, once again in the bottom of the seventh, putting an end to Wiltsey's day, but NJCU got it right back in the top of the eighth when Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) knocked a one-out RBI single up the middle to plate fellow rookie Justin Moreno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Trenton Catholic) from third, who was there courtesy of a wild pitch, to make it 6-6. Neither team scored for the remainder of the eighth and ninth innings, and bonus baseball followed.

The older Colon brother, Leo, put NJCU up 8-6 in the top of the 10th with two outs and runners on first and second. Colon smashed a double down the leftfield line to plate Vizzoni from second and his own brother, Elijah, from first. However, MSU was able to get both of those runs back in the home half thanks in part to a pair of errors in left. Not to worry, however, as the Gothic Knights put up another two-spot of their own in the top of the 11th thanks to one-out two-run double to right-center for Moreno, plating Voss and senior Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy). Unfortunately, though they led 10-8, the Gothic Knights were unable to hold the lead in the bottom of the 11th and the Red Hawks loaded the bases and proceeded to score three runs in a row to end it 11-10.

Highlights:
- Voss, who has been tearing the cover off the ball to start the season, finished the day 3-for-10 with three RBI, two home runs and three runs scored. The junior leads NJCU in batting (.351), OPS (1.010), HRs (2), slugging (.595) and stolen bases (6-for-6).
- Rivera ended the doubleheader going 4-for-10 at the plate with a double and a RBI.
- Pena finished 3-for-10 with a double and a run scored.
- In game two, Moreno was 1-for-2 with two RBI, a double, a run scored and was hit by a pitch.
- Also in game two, Vizzoni, Chiappisi and both Colon brothers all managed two hits. The Colons each notched two RBI and a run scored apiece.

What's Next
NJCU will look to finally open play on its true home field at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex on Saturday, March 27, for a non-conference doubleheader against William Paterson University, beginning at 12:00 p.m. Please refer to NJCU's 2021 Spring Sport spectator policiy for more information on attendance. Fans can also tune in and watch both games on live on GothicVision.