NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark upended No. 12 Kean, 5-4 and 11-6, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader in Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. 

Rutgers-Newark 5, Kean 4      
Rutgers-Newark 11, Kean 6

The Scarlet Raiders (10-14, NJAC 3-3) shocked the Cougars (16-9, NJAC 3-4), holding off a late Kean rally in the opener before hammering out a win in the nightcap under the lights.

Freshmen relievers Matt Larangera and Justin Szablicki each appeared in both games to help preserve the wins.

In the opener, freshmen keyed a 5-run explosion against losing pitcher Nick Cesare (4-1) in the fifth inning. Rookie rightfielder Robert Kistner had an RBI single to start the rally before freshman centerfielder Owen Harshaney slapped a 2-run single through the middle. After a double off the rightfield wall by junior second baseman Matt Connors, senior designated hitter Anthony Yeswita hammered a 2-run single to right field. Yeswita went two for four while Kistner was two for three in teh game. 

Junior Billy Cerruti (2-3) picked up the win by going seven full innings. He struck out six and walked three while yielding only four hits and one earned run.

Larangera pitched a shutout eighth before Szablicki earned a save by getting the Raiders out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth. He got a fly ball to rightfield before giving up a 2-run bloop single to short right centerfield which trimmed the Rutgers-Newark lead to one. He struck out Cougar designated hitter Ken Gregory to end the contest.

In the nightcap, junior shortstop Patrick Reitemeyer had a 2-run double to key a 4-run first inning as the Raiders took advantage of two Cougar errors.

Kean first baseman Lee Cavico hammered a solo home run in the second – the first of two solo homers by the right-handed sophomore – to trim the lead to 4-1. Shortstop Dave Zavistoski delivered a 2-run single to right field in the third to cut the Kean deficit to one.

But a 2-run double by sophomore catcher Anthony Palladino gave the Raiders and starting pitcher Connor Medler (3-1) some breathing room in the bottom of the third.

Cougar centerfielder D.J. Breckenridge, who went three for five, had an RBI single in the top of the sixth, but four Raider singles and a costly 2-run fielding error gave Rutgers-Newark three runs in the bottom of the frame.

Second baseman Steve Giambrone doubled in the eighth and score on a single by Breckenridge before Cavico slammed his second home run over the rightfield wall in the ninth to account for the final Cougar runs.

Freshman reserve first baseman Ryan Maloney powered a 380-foot triple to dead centerfield to plate the final Raider runs. 

Rutgers-Newark hosts Baruch at noon on Sunday in a non-conference game.