JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Trailing by three runs in the early innings on Tuesday, April 18, the New Jersey City University baseball team tied the game up twice late, forcing extras, before senior
Bryan Fernandez (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with his second home run of the day. At game's end, the Gothic Knights finished off The College at Old Westbury, 6-5, at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex. Another highlight on the afternoon came in the bottom of the sixth inning — senior
Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) led off with a single, reaching the 100-hit plateau for his career. He also tossed the final 2.0 innings, shutting out the Panthers to earn the first win of his career.
Old Westbury (10-13) scored three runs in the first three innings before NJCU (11-19) scratched across a pair in the third and fourth to make it a one-run game. Freshman shortstop
Arian Lunar (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) led off the third with a single to right, moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. With two outs, sophomore first baseman
John Abrahamsen (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) made it a 3-1 game with a run-scoring single. Then, with one out in the bottom of the fourth, Fernandez drove one over the fence down the line in right, just staying fair to make it 3-2.
Jersey City tied it up at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Fernandez had a one-out single before sophomore
Riley Morrow (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township) pinch hit with a single to put two runners on — a double steal put two runners in scoring position. The next play was an odd one, but tied the game nonetheless. Lunar reached on a fielder's choice to the pitcher, who chose to throw Fernandez out in a rundown at the plate. However, in the middle of the exchange, the throw from the catcher was misplayed at third base, allowing Fernandez to score.
The Panthers took the lead back at 4-3 in the top of the seventh, but the Gothic Knights were able to tie it back up at 4-4 in the home half. Junior third baseman
Garrett Allo (Monroe, N.J./East Brunswick Tech) started it off by reaching on an error before Abrahamsen notched a base hit to put runners on the corners. Freshman second baseman
Dom Yarson (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) reached on a fielder's choice, which allowed the runner from third to score and tie it. Old Westbury, however, managed to take the lead once again in the top of the eighth.
Trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth, senior
Josh Hernandez (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista Community) came through in the clutch. He led off the inning with a monster homer to right to tie it up at 5-5 and force extra innings. Then, after Vizzoni tossed his second scoreless inning, Fernandez took care of business in the second at-bat of the bottom of the 10th to walk it off.
Highlights:
- Bridging the gap to Vizzoni in the final two innings was freshman
Mike Napolitano (Belleville, N.J./Belleville). The rookie righthander did allow a run to score, but picked off a pair of runners in the eighth to get out of the jam.
- Hernandez finished 2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored.
- Allo was 1-for-4 with a run, a walk and two stolen bases. He extends his on-base streak to 27 games in a row.
- Abrahamsen was 2-for-5 with a RBI and a stolen base.
- Fernandez finished 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, two homers and a stolen base.
- Luncar was 2-for-4 with a run and a walk.
Up Next:
NJCU returns to action on Thursday, April 20, for New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play on the road at Kean University in Union, N.J., beginning at 3:30 p.m.
