NEWARK, N.J. (April 23, 2015) – Senior
Rowland Goodman homered and drove in two runs, but it was not enough as The College of New Jersey defeated Rutgers-Newark in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) baseball game Thursday at Riverfront Stadium.
TCNJ improves to 7-8 in the NJAC and 14-15 overall, while the Scarlet Raiders drop to 11-24 and 1-14 in the conference.
The Lions scored a single run in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead as the two tallies in the third were aided by a Newark error on a TCNJ sacrifice bunt.
The Raiders pushed across a run in their half of the fourth inning. After the first two that came to the plate were retired, junior
Cameron Dias walked, getting into scoring position thanks to a wild pitch, and coming around to score on an RBI single down the left field line from sophomore
Chas Bohannon.
TCNJ answered back and got to R-N starter
Shane Nolan for three more runs in the sixth to go on top 7-1. Freshman
Dominick Fazio came on to relieve Nolan but gave up a two-run double to left-center field from junior Mark Mari and the guests were up six.
Rutgers-Newark grabbed one back in the bottom half to get back within four. Again it was Dias starting the rally, this time with a single to center. After a popup, freshman second baseman
Anthony Hernandez lined a single to center to plate Dias and pull the Scarlet Raiders within five at 7-2.
The Lions scored single runs in the seventh and eighth, one coming on a homer from junior Patrick Roberts, with the Raiders getting a two-run shot from Goodman with one out in the eighth inning. The homer for Goodman was the first of his career, clearing the fence in left and driving in senior catcher
Dan Lopez who walked earlier in the frame.
The Scarlet Raiders finished with six hits in the game, getting one each from sophomore
Josh Cote, Dias, junior
Ryan MacFarlane, Bohannon, Goodman and Hernandez. Dias had two runs scored and junior
Gerry Patrizio walked twice.
Nolan went 5.2 innings and suffered the loss (1-3). He allowed seven runs (four earned) and struck out four. Joe Cirillo earned the win for TCNJ, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing a pair of earned runs.
Rutgers-Newark and TCNJ will complete their conference home-and-home series when the two sides square off in Ewing Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
