Cote Postgame Interview | Highlights

NEWARK, N.J. (April 20, 2017) – Senior captain Josh Cote blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning to help lift the Rutgers University-Newark baseball team to a huge 4-1 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory over Kean University Thursday at Riverfront Stadium.
 
Rutgers-Newark improves to 8-3 in the NJAC and 21-7-1 overall, while the Cougars drop to 6-5 in league play and 20-12 overall. The two teams will play in Union at Kean Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

NJAC Standings
 
The first two batters were retired in the bottom of the seventh, but a walk to sophomore shortstop Ryan Zucker and a base hit from junior catcher Justin Marks brought up Cote who promptly hammered the first pitch he saw from Kean starter Tyler Hopman over the wall in left-center. It was his fourth home run of the season which is tied for the team lead.
 
Junior first baseman Ross Halkias staked the Scarlet Raiders to a 1-0 lead with a home run with one out in the second inning, launching a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for his third round-tripper of the season.
 
Scarlet Raider starting pitcher Dominick Fazio was masterful in the early stages, allowing just two hits over his first three innings and striking out two.
 
Kean tied the game 1-1 with back-to-back two-out hits in the fourth, and after the Cougars loaded the bases, Fazio was able to get a groundout to avoid further damage.
 
The Cougars threatened in the fifth, putting runners at second and third with one down, but Fazio induced a ground ball with the infield in for the second out, and the Raiders – namely Halkias and Fazio – executed a first-and-third pick off to perfection to get out of the jam.
 
Junior Yanni Vayas relieved Fazio in the seventh, and after giving up a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt turned into a double play as Halkias threw behind the advancing runner after getting the out at first base.
 
Vayas sent down the side in order in the eighth, and received a gorgeous diving play in right from freshman John Klimowich to assist him in closing out the Cougars in the ninth.
 
Fazio's final line was sterling as the junior allowed just one run on seven hits and four strikeouts, but he did not factor into the decision. Vayas went the final three innings and picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the season. The junior allowed no runs and three hits in a big-time performance.
 
Rutgers-Newark totaled 10 hits in the game. Cote went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and a run scored, Klimowich went 2-for-4 and junior Brian Boulineau went 2-for-3. Halkias (HR), Marks, junior Anthony Perconte and freshman JC Ball all had one knock apiece.
 
Center fielder Frank LoGuidice, designated hitter Steve Santigate and second baseman Austin Arndt all had two hits for Kean.
 
Notes:
-Rutgers-Newark surpassed its 2016 NJAC win total (seven) with seven games left.
-Josh Cote has five hits in the team's last two games and is tied for the team-lead in homers with Adam Tricarico.
-The win over Kean was the team's first conference win at home this season. It was also the team's first conference game played in Newark.