NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark reserves staged a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, but No. 3 Kean University escaped Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium with an important 6-5 New Jersey Athletic Conference win.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Freshman shortstop Kevin Olah laced a two-out, bases-loaded triple to cap the rally but he was stranded 90 feet short of tying the game when Cougar sophomore reliever Sam Fourre coaxed a ground ball to second base to end the contest.

The win helped Kean (29-5, NJAC 12-2) keep sole possession of the NJAC lead, a game ahead of Rowan (24-8-1, NJAC 11-3) which swept a doubleheader over New Jersey City in Glassboro this afternoon, while completing a sweep of its two-game set against the Scarlet Raiders (19-13, NJAC 9-5).

Rutgers-Newark, currently alone in third place in the 10-team league, cannot catch Kean in the race for the NJAC's top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Raiders host William Paterson (17-14-1, NJAC 5-7) on Thursday and visit the Pioneers in Wayne on Friday before closing out their conference regular season slate with a home doubleheader against Rowan on Saturday.

Rutgers-Newark head coach Mark Rizzi pulled his starting lineup in the middle of the seventh inning after three infield errors led to three Cougar runs which gave Kean a 6-0 lead.

Cougar senior righthander Chris Cirlincione (5-0) allowed just two hits by the Raiders' starting lineup – a two-out single by senior rightfielder Michael Cassese in the fourth and a one-out single by junior first baseman Chris Ballester in the sixth. He struck out eight and walked four in seven full innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, a one-double double by sophomore third baseman Ryan Maloney started the Raider rally. Freshman rightfielder John Gargiulo followed with an RBI single before junior catcher Anthony Palladino – the only starter not pulled – and freshman leftfielder Jason McCluskey drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Olah's first career extra-base hit.

Kean took a 3-0 lead in the fifth when senior corner outfielders Ken Gregory and Nick Nolan wrapped RBI singles around a sacrifice fly by junior designated hitter Dylan Laguna.

Rutgers-Newark's scheduled showdown with Johns Hopkins in the stadium on Tuesday has been postponed because of conference commitments by the Blue Jays who must make up a rain postponed contest. 

The Raiders and William Paterson square off the stadium on Thursday at 4 p.m.