GALLOWAY, N.J. — On a cold and sunny day in southern New Jersey, the New Jersey City University baseball team split a doubleheader with New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe Stockton University, falling in the opener 6-5 on a late-inning rally before erupting for an 8-3 win in the second tilt.

Senior Brandon Rivera (Aberdeen, N.J./Matawan Regional) got his first RBI in the opener before adding three in the late game to spark the Gothic Knights (3-10, 1-1 NJAC) to a victory over the Ospreys (3-3, 1-1 NJAC) to close out the day.

"Glad to see our guys bounce back after a heartbreaking loss on an illegal slide to end game one and close out the day with a win," said head coach Jerry Smith of the day's results. "We only trailed for the eighth and ninth in the first game all day, so it's unfortunate that we couldn't walk away with the sweep. Moving forward we need to execute much better if we are going to have any success in this competitive conference. We cannot leave 19 guys on base and expect outcomes to be any different."

Game 1
The Gothic Knights jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the opener on senior Juan Pena's (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy) bases-loaded single in the first frame and a single down the left field line by freshman Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) in the second. The Ospreys answered with two runs of their own to knot the affair in the bottom of the second. NJCU retook the lead in the fifth on yet another Colon knock and junior Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) took advantage of a throwing error in the sixth to bring the NJCU lead to 4-2. After the Ospreys managed to pull within one, Rivera notched his first RBI of the day on a double to bring NJCU's cushion back to 5-3. NJCU remained in the lead until the eighth, when an Osprey rally culminated in the eventual game-winning run coming home on a wild pitch. Freshman Ali Pompey (Belle Meade, N.J./Trenton Catholic) gave up just three hits and no earned runs over four innings in the start, striking out three.

Game 2
Much like the first affair, the Gothic Knights began the second game by jumping out to a 2-0 lead on some heads-up base running by brothers Elijah and Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) in the third frame. The Ospreys were able to answer with a run before the Knights exploded for six unanswered through the next five innings. Adding to Rivera's three RBI were Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) with a single to drive in two and junior Mitchell Leslie's (Gibbstown, N.J./Gloucester Tech) sac fly. Sophomore pitcher Justin Wiltsey (Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Hamilton West) held the Ospreys to just two hits and one run in his four innings, striking out a pair. Wiltsey was relieved ably by senior Gavin Niland (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic), who shut the Ospreys out for four innings, pitching a three-hit gem into the ninth to eventually secure the win. The Osprey's threatened to mount another late comeback during last licks, pushing one across and juicing the bases with no outs to chase Niland from the game. Fortunately, freshman Nick Chiappisi (Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township) was called on to put out the fire, and the rookie delivered in a big way — getting three straight put-outs to strand three and clinch the victory, although not officially a save.

What's Next
NJCU will next host Rowan University in the first leg of a home-and-home series on Thursday, April 8, at 3:30 p.m., with the hope (and plan) of finally opening up play at the Thomas M. Gerrity Complex for the 2021 season. Catch all the action live on NJCUGothicKnights.com/GothicVision.