MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (March 18, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team closed its Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach with two more victories to run its winning streak to an impressive seven games. The Scarlet Raiders swept a doubleheader from Alfred State College by final scores of 7-2 and 10-5. Senior
Josh Cote, junior
Adam Tricarico and freshman
Kevin Tamsula all hit home runs for Rutgers-Newark in the triumphs.
R-N is now 10-3 overall.
Rutgers-Newark 7, Alfred State 2
The Scarlet Raiders scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to their sixth-straight win.
Junior
Ross Halkias went 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and Tricarico homered as the Scarlet Raiders improved to 9-3 overall. Junior
Yanni Vayas, junior
Dominick Fazio and freshman
Michael Katims combined on a four-hitter on the mound. Vayas went two innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits. Fazio allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts over three innings, earning the win (1-0), and Katims did not allow a hit in his two frames.
Cote, Halkias and junior
Anthony Perconte all had run-scoring singles in the first, and Tricarico cleared the fence in left for a two-run homer – his first as a Scarlet Raider.
Rutgers-Newark added a run in the fourth when Halkias singled home freshman
JC Ball who singled and stole second base earlier in the inning.
Ball went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Cote, Halkias, Perconte and Tricarico all picked up at least one RBI. Tricarico also worked two walks, and the Scarlet Raiders totaled five free passes as a team.
Rutgers-Newark 10, Alfred St. 5
The final game of the team's trip was a back-and-forth contest, and the Scarlet Raiders prevailed by scoring four runs in the sixth inning to turn a 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead.
Singles for freshman
Colin Powers and sophomore
Ryan Zucker put two on and two out in the sixth, and Ball singled home the game-tying run. Next up was Cote who blasted his second home run in as many days, a three-run shot to put his team in front for good.
Senior
Chas Bohannon got the start for Rutgers-Newark, going 4.2 innings and giving up five runs. The veteran struck out seven and was cruising before running into trouble in the fifth.
Alfred State (1-14) scored four times in the bottom half of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Rutgers-Newark scored one run in the first inning on an RBI from Perconte, and the Scarlet Raiders scored two times in the third thanks to run-scoring hits from Ball (2B) and Perconte (1B). Tamsula hammered the first home run of his career in the fourth inning to give his side a 4-1 lead.
Rutgers-Newark tacked on two insurance runs in its final turn at the plate, using a two-run single from Tamsula for the last two markers of a very successful Spring Break trip.
Junior
Dan Murphy recorded two big outs in relief of Bohannon, and freshman Brandon Terrrizzi tossed the final 1.2 innings. Murphy was credited with the win, his second of the season (2-1), and Terrizzi pocketed his first career save.
The Scarlet Raiders racked up 10 hits in the second game. Zucker was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, Tamsula was 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored, and Perconte was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Ball went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Cote had the big three-run blast to put Rutgers-Newark in front.
Note: Both games were schedule for seven innings.
Note: Rutgers-Newark dropped its opener on the trip to Myrtle Beach, and closed it with seven-straight victories.
Note: The Scarlet Raider offense has seven runs or more in seven-straight games – all wins.
What's Next? Rutgers-Newark will tentatively play Lehman College on March 22, but keep an eye on
www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com and @ScarletRaiders on twitter for schedule updates. Due to the snow on March 14, games, locations and matchups are subject to change.
