NEWARK, N.J. (April 6, 2015) – Junior shortstop Ryan MacFarlane delivered a two-out bases-clearing double in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Rutgers-Newark baseball team to an amazing 13-12 comeback win over Penn St.-Abington Monday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.
 
The double capped a five-run ninth inning as the Scarlet Raiders were able to erase a 10-0 fifth-inning deficit to get the victory.
 
Rutgers-Newark improves to 8-14 with the win, snapping a four-game skid. Penn St. falls to 5-12.
 
Trailing 12-8 entering the ninth, R-N needed baserunners to give itself a chance and freshman designated hitter Anthony Perconte was able to get on with a walk. After a flyout, junior center fielder Billy Taylor doubled down the left field line to drive in Perconte. Junior second baseman Gerry Patrizio singled, and freshman catcher Justin Marks followed with a single of his own to drive in Taylor and bring the winning run to the plate. A strikeout brought the Scarlet Raiders to their final out, and after a double steal put the tying run in scoring position, pinch hitter Rowland Goodman walked to set the stage for MacFarlane. The junior came through in the biggest way possible, drilling a double into the left-center field gap and clearing the bases to give the Raiders one of the most improbable wins in program history.
 
Rutgers-Newark had a rough start, giving up eight runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth to find itself in a nearly impossible spot – having to come back from a 10-0 hole.
 
After PSU extended its margin in the fourth, R-N sliced into the Abington lead with four tallies in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore left fielder Josh Cote opened the inning with a double, and Taylor drove him in with a base hit. Patrizio walked before Marks brought home the second run of the inning with a single, and junior right fielder Cameron Dias did the same to plate the third Scarlet Raider run. A double play ground out brought home the fourth and final tally of the inning, and the hosts were all of a sudden in striking distance.
 
Two more Newark runs crossed the plate in the sixth when Patrizio drove in Taylor and first baseman Chas Bohannon with a two-out single to right-center, and after freshman reliever Anthony Hernandez retired the side in the seventh, a Bohannon sac fly made it a 10-7 game heading to the eighth.
 
Abington plated single runs in the eighth and ninth innings for insurance with Rutgers-Newark pushing across one in the bottom half of the eighth via a Dias sacrifice fly to make the score 12-8 moving into the bottom of the ninth.
 
Hernandez was absolutely remarkable in relief for the Scarlet Raiders. The rookie came on with the score 10-0 in the top of the fourth and proceeded to throw five excellent innings. He allowed just one run, striking out four and scattering three hits, saving the Rutgers-Newark pitching staff for a brutal stretch in which it is playing six games in five days. Hernandez did not factor into the decision but was arguably the most valuable Scarlet Raider of the game.
 
Earning the win for Rutgers-Newark was freshman JR Hilcher (2-1) who came on in the ninth, allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout.
 
MacFarlane went 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBI's and two stolen bases, and Taylor went 3-for-6 with three runs, two RBI's and two stolen bases. Patrizio tallied a team-high three stolen bags in a 3-for-5 performance in which he scored three runs and drove in two more. Marks was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI's, and Cote went 3-for-5 with a run scored.
 
Rutgers-Newark banged out 16 hits in the game which is tied for the second-highest total this season. Despite making three errors, the R-N defense made some big plays, turning a 5-4-3 double play and doubling up a pair of Nittany Lion baserunners from the outfield.
 
PSU had 15 hits as a total of five different Lions recorded at least two.
 
Rutgers-Newark will visit Drew University Tuesday in a makeup of a game originally slated for March 31. The Scarlet Raiders will visit Franklin & Marshall Wednesday before returning home Thursday for a New Jersey Athletic Conference battle against Ramapo.