JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University baseball squad picked up the doubleheader split on Senior Day at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex this afternoon, Saturday, May 1, as the Gothic Knights earned the game one, 6-5 comeback victory over Rutgers-Newark in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play before falling to the Scarlet Raiders 13-8 in game two. Eight members of the NJCU baseball class of 2021 were recognized during the pregame ceremonies, along with one member of the 2020 class.

Game 1
The Gothic Knights (5-24, 3-15 NJAC) saw senior Gavin Niland (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) take the mound in the top half of the doubleheader and he proceeded to toss 111 pitches over 7.0 innings while striking out a season-high five batters and giving up four earned runs (five total). The Scarlet Raiders (2-16, 2-16 NJAC) got things started with a one-out RBI double to make it 1-0 in the top of the first. The score remained 1-0 until the road team extended it to 2-0 in the top of the fourth via a sacrifice fly.

After several opportunities throughout the first four innings, NJCU finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when freshman Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) drove in fellow rookie Justin Moreno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Trenton Catholic) with a RBI single to right to cut the deficit in half. However, a two-out, three-run double in the top of the sixth for Rutgers-Camden stretch the lead out to 5-1.

Still trailing by four in the bottom of seventh, the Gothic Knights started off the inning by loading the bases with no outs. Moreno struck first by notching a RBI on a shallow hit to right (officially a fielder's choice) to make it 5-2. To at-bats later, with one out, senior Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) flied out to center for the sacrifice to make it 5-3. In the following at-bat, fellow senior Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy) hit a high fly ball to right center, which was dropped by the Rutgers-Newark right fielder in a crowd of Scarlet Raider outfielders, which allowed both baserunners to score on the play and tie it up at 5-5.

Then, with one out in the bottom of the eighth, junior catcher Mitchell Leslie (Gibbstown, N.J./Gloucester Tech) launched a solo blast — his first homer as a Gothic Knight — to put NJCU ahead 6-5. Junior pitcher John Pudder (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) entered in the top half of the eighth and did a wonderful job locking down his first victory of the season and second of his career. The righty tossed 2.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits while striking out three batters.

Game 2
Momentum remained on the Gothic Knights' side in the start of this one as NJCU took an early 4-1 lead after 3.0 innings. With the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first, junior Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) drew a RBI walk to make it 1-0. However, after a quick pitching change, the Gothic Knights had the rest of their scoring chances in the frame stifled with a strikeout and double-play. In the bottom of the second with two outs, Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) did manage a RBI single to left to plate his brother Elijah and make it 2-0.

The Scarlet Raiders got one back in the next half inning, but NJCU notched two more in the home half of the third. Pena led off with a hit-by-pitch and was immediately plated thanks to a RBI triple to the gap in right-center off the bat of senior Brandon Rivera (Aberdeen, N.J./Matawan Regional). Then, with one out, Leslie knocked in another run with a single up the middle to make it 4-1.

The next half inning was a tough one for the Gothic Knights as they committed five errors, with lead to five unearned runs for Rutgers-Newark, who took a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, NJCU got one back to make it 6-5 on a freak play as the Scarlet Raiders catcher's toss back to the mound was errant, allowing Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) to score all the way from second. The score remained that way until Rutgers-Camden plated two in the top of the sixth on a pair of sac flies. The road team eventually stretched its advantage out to 12-5 with four more unearned runs in the top of the seventh.

The Gothic Knights did have another big inning in them, however, as they scored three runs on three hits in the home half of the eighth to make it 12-8. With one out and the bases loaded, Rivera notched his second RBI of the game with a single to left. Next up, Voss tagged the pitcher for a RBI single as well — also his second of the contest — followed next by a RBI sacrifice fly from Leslie. Unfortunately NJCU was unable to muster any more offense and fell by a final of 13-8.

Highlights
- Pena went 3-for-5 in the doubleheader, including a double. He also scored twice, stole a base, drew three walks and was hit by two pitches.
- Leslie stayed hot with the bat and finished the afternoon 3-for-6 with three RBI, a home run, two walks, two runs scored, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base.
- The players honored pregame were: Pena, Bryan Pagan (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic), Niland, Rivera, TJ MacFarland (Lacey, N.J./Lacey) — who got the start in game two — Chris Bergalowski (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne), Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)), Tom Paul (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) and 2020 graduate Bill Feehan (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro).

What's Next
After winning game one, the Gothic Knights locked in their status at the #9 seed in the upcoming 2021 NJAC Baseball Tournament. NJCU will face eighth-seeded Stockton University in Galloway, N.J., with a scheduled 3:30 p.m. first pitch in the First Round on Tuesday, May 4.