The New Jersey City University baseball team is nearing the end of their Kentucky Trip. This afternoon, March 15, they faced off against Transylvania University for the third consecutive day. Though today's game played out differently than the previous two afternoons, the Gothic Knights couldn't pick up their first win of the week, and would fall to the Pioneers 11-6 despite a big eighth inning rally.

NJCU (2-5) could not get on base with their first three outs of the afternoon against Transy (11-2). The Pioneers would take an early advantage in their first half inning by way of a three-run home run. After being shut out offensively in the first, NJCU got things rolling in the second with sophomore designated hitter Dom Yarson (Ewing, N.J., Ewing) hitting a leadoff double into left field to put the Gothic Knights in scoring position. Senior first baseman Ali Pompey (Trenton, N.J., Trenton Catholic) knocked in the first Green and Gold run of the game on the very next at-bat with a single down the left field line, cutting the Pioneers lead to two. The Gothic Knights didn't allow a hit in the bottom of the second, with rookie righthander Yannid Narvaez (Cartago La Union, Costa Rica, International Christian Academy) making his collegiate debut on the hill.

In the third, NJCU picked up right where they left off, as second baseman Justin Moreno (Brooklyn, N.Y., Trenton Catholic) led off the inning with a single to left field. He would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch to put the Green and Gold in scoring position once again. Freshman rightfielder Jeremy Ricourt (Perth Amboy, N.J., JFK Memorial) manufactured a one-out sacrifice fly to right, scoring Moreno to make it a 3-2 game. NJCU was able to put two more runners on base, but would leave them stranded to round out the top half of the third. The Pioneers recorded their first hit since the opening inning in the bottom third, but also left a runner on base to close out three innings of play. Narvaez notched the first strikeout of his career for the second out, and would go on to retire the side with another strikeout.

Both teams did not record a hit nor a run in the fourth. In the fifth, NJCU logged three more hits in search of the tying run. However, they would leave two runners in scoring position to end the fifth inning. Transy also left a runner on base in the bottom of the fifth, and the inning saw another strikeout by Narvaez, the third of his very young Green and Gold career. Similar to the fifth, the Gothic Knights could not push the tying run across home plate in sixth, and left a man stranded in scoring position. The Pioneers, after a scoreless four inning stretch, put up two more runs on three hits in the inning, extending their lead to 5-2. In the seventh, both teams did not record a hit, but the Pioneers managed their sixth run after putting a runner on first, stealing second and scoring on a Green and Gold error.

With just six outs left for the Gothic Knights to make a comeback, they erupted in the eighth. Freshman catcher Enrique Beltra (Monroe, N.J., Ranney) reached via a hit by pitch to start things off. Senior outfielder Justin Anthony (East Orange, N.J., St. Benedict's Prep) subbed in to pinch run for Beltra, and would advance to second and reach third on a wild pitch. With Yarson next, he would reach first by a walk, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Pompey followed with a sacrifice to first base for his second RBI of the afternoon, allowing Anthony to score and moving Yarson to a scoring position. With one out and Yarson at second, he would steal third and score on a Pioneer error behind the dish to cut the lead to two. Still with one out and and now a man on first via another walk drawn by senior third baseman Garrett Allo (Monroe, N.J., East Brunswick Tech), fifth year left fielder Bryan Fernandez (Sayreville, N.J., Sayreville War Memorial) doubled down the left field line, and advanced to third on another Pioneer error in the infield, which also allowed Allo to score from first. Next to the plate was Moreno who drew another walk to put runners on the corners, and then stole second to eliminate the chance at a Transy double play. Fernandez, would eventually make it across home plate after a wild pitch allowed him to score and tie the game at 6-6, subsequently moving Moreno, the leading run, up to third. NJCU got another runner in scoring position thanks to Ricourt reaching by walk, and then stealing second after the Pioneers secured the second out. Down to their final out of the eighth with the leading and insurance runs in scoring position, the side would be retired on a ground out to second, leaving both runners on base. NJCU put up the most runs in any inning all afternoon in the eighth, with four runs scored on one hit and two Pioneer errors.

Unfortunately, the Pioneers would answer the Gothic Knight's rally, as they would go on to score five runs in the home half of the eighth to reclaim their advantage. NJCU managed to get on base in the ninth, but could not rally again, and would ultimately fall to the Pioneers.

Highlights:
-Yarson (1-for-4) extended his hitting streak to five straight games with his team-high sixth double of the campaign. He also leads NJCU in batting average (.480), OPS (1.256), slugging percentage (.720), on base percentage (.536), hits (12), runs scored (6), and total bases (18).
-NJCU has recorded seven hits in each of their three matchups against Transy, a mark that they have reached in all seven games in 2024. The Gothic Knights also drew seven walks today, the fourth time they've done so this season.
-The Green and Gold were hit by three pitches today, the most they've taken in any game this so far.

Up Next:
NJCU will wrap up their Kentucky Trip tomorrow, March 16, as they will take on Transylvania once again for the fourth time this week. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.