Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Rutgers-Newark clawed out a 3-2 win over New Jersey City before falling, 8-3, to the Gothic Knights in a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader in the Gerrity Athletic Complex.

IN GAME ONE, senior Matt Larangera came out of left field to strike out Gothic Knight freshman catcher Andrew Niech for the final out and strand the tying run at third and winning run at second in the bottom of the ninth.  Larangera battled Niech through a 13-pitch at-bat which featured seven consecutive foul balls before ending the contest.

The Gothic Knights  (13-10, NJAC 2-4) pulled within a run against Scarlet Raider senior starter Kyle Van Vliet (2-2) on a two-out, two-run double into the right field corner by senior leftfielder Andrew Rivera.  Freshman rightfielder Michael Murray came up with the ball quickly and NJCU held senior rightfielder Pete Senyszyn at third to set up the decisive duel between Larangera and Niech.

Murray, who came off the bench to go two for three, singled with one out in the top of the ninth and scored the game-winning run on a two-out single to left center field by junior catcher Steve Tamayo. The Gothic Knights failed to turn what would have been an inning-ending double play on a ground ball to short just ahead of Tamayo's hit. The run gave Van Vliet a 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the final inning.

Van Vliet struck out seven and walked two while yielding 11 hits to get the victory over NJCU sophomore Kevin DeMauro (1-4).  DeMauro went the distance, scattering 10 hits while striking out three and walking just one.

In the sixth, a pop up by Larangera was lost in the sun by DeMauro and fell in for a two-out single before freshman third baseman Brian Kokos tipped an RBI double to right center field to knot the score at 1-1.  Sophomore first baseman Graham Commesso followed with an RBI single through the middle to give the Raiders the lead for good.

Sophomore shortstop Nicholas D'Errico, who scored the Gothic Knight run in the ninth, singled home junior second baseman Rob Roman with the game's first run in the second inning.

Larangera, Kokos and Tamayo joined Murray with two hits apiece while Rivera and sophomore centerfielder Matthew Wagner collected three hits each for NJCU.

IN GAME TWO, after Rutgers-Newark scored two runs in the top of the first, Wagner delivered a two-run double and Roman a two run single to put the Gothic Knights ahead for keeps at 4-2.

Commesso singled and Tamayo drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the Raider runs in the first, but Rutgers-Newark starter Tyler Kwiatek did not get out of the first inning.

Larangera doubled in the fourth to plate freshman shortstop Gerry Patrizio, who was aboard after a single, to trim the deficit to 4-3, but three NJCU pitcher would limit the Raiders to one single and no runs the rest of the way.

Murray paced the Raiders' seven-hit attack by going two for four with a triple in the third inning while the Gothic Knights posted 11 hits against five Rutgers-Newark pitchers.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Old Westbury on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium before beginning an NJAC home-and-away series against Kean in the stadium on Thursday.