CAMDEN, NJ – Junior catcher Gerard Russomanno's two-out double in the 17th proved to be the game-winning hit as Rutgers-Newark worked overtime to gain a 13-4 and 8-6 sweep of Rutgers-Camden in a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader on Campbell's Field.
NCAA Statistics: Rutgers-Newark 13, Rutgers-Camden 4 Rutgers-Newark 8, Rutgers-Camden 6
Russomanno, the junior captain who caught all 26 innings of the marathon twinbill which started at noon and ran until 7:58 p.m., singled home reserve shortstop Michael Dennis who had reached on a two-out walk. Russomanno then scored an insurance run when reserve centerfielder Matt Citro singled to centerfield.
The hits made a winner of Raider junior closer Christian Diaz who walked one while not giving up a hit over the final two innings. Junior righthander Robert Falk turned in six innings of shutout pitching, giving up just two hits while striking out two and walking no one, after taking the ball to begin the 10th.
Russomanno had three of the Raiders' 13 hits against six Rutgers-Camden pitchers. Sophomore third baseman Joe Furnaguera and freshman shortstop Patrick Reitemeyer had two hits apiece for Rutgers-Newark (11-11, NJAC 4-3).
Junior starter Kevin Matawa gave up just three earned runs which scattering 10 hits with four strikeouts and a walk over the first seven innings, leaving the mound with the score tied at 5-5. Junior righthander Robert Adams gave up an unearned run in the eighth, but turned in two solid innings to get Rutgers-Newark to extra innings.
Junior rightfielder Brian Gill's three-run double in the third staked the Raiders to an early 4-1 lead, but the Scarlet Raptors chipped away, getting single runs in the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings to force extra innings.
In the opener, freshman second baseman Matt Connors went four for five and drove in three runs to key a 16-hit barrage by the Raiders. The rookie singled, stole second and scored in the first, ripped an RBI double down the leftfield line in the fifth, stroked a bases-loaded RBI single in the sixth and drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth to fuel the attack.
Sophomore righthander Dan Nodarse (1-1) scattered nine hits, striking out four and walking three in seven full innings of work before sophomore John Kudor finished things off by giving up just one hit while striking out three and walking no one over two innings of shutout relief.
Gill had and RBI double in the eighth and a two-run single in the ninth as the Raiders broke open the contest. Sophomore designated hitter Anthony Yeswita had an RBI single in the first, a bases-loaded walk to cap the four-run sixth and an RBI single in the five-run ninth. Senior first baseman Dan Zika, senior leftfielder Doug Ford and Russomanno each had two hits for Rutgers-Newark in the game.
Rutgers-Newark visits William Paterson at 3:30 p.m. on Monday for an NJAC game which was postponed because of rain on Friday.
