HARRISONBURG, Va. (February 16, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team kicked off its season in style with a doubleheader at 10th-ranked and 2017 NCAA Division III College World Series participant, Roanoke College. The teams split the contests with the Scarlet Raiders winning a thrilling opener 8-6 before the Maroons took the nightcap 9-1. Both sides start their 2018 campaign 1-1.

Rutgers-Newark 8, Roanoke 6
In the first half of the twinbill, the Scarlet Raiders went toe-to-toe with the nationally-ranked Maroons. Deadlocked at 5-5, the visitors took the lead with a thrilling sequence in the top of the ninth. Senior Adam Tricarico led off the frame with a single before two errors loaded the bases. That set the stage for sophomore Connor Clare who delivered a pinch-hit go-ahead single to put the visitors in front. Two straight hit batters brought in two more runs.

Newark carried a three-run cushion into the bottom half of the frame but junior closer Yanni Vayas would create a tough situation for himself, giving up one run and loading the bases with no outs. Still, the veteran reliever was unfazed and recovered to strike out the side to seal the victory.

Head Coach Mark Rizzi said, "We hit the ball very well and once again (Anthony) Rosoline gave us a superb outing. Vayas came up big in the ninth for us."

R-N got off to a fast start as junior captain Ryan Zucker led off the game with a double. Two batters later, Tricarico delivered a two-run blast to stake the visitors to a 2-0 lead. Next, senior Anthony Perconte walked and junior Dominic Magliaro drilled a ground-rule double to set up senior Brian Boulineau. Boulineau came through with an RBI base knock as the Raiders built a 3-0 lead.

Rutgers-Newark tacked on another run in the second on an RBI single from senior Justin Marks but Roanoke would rally to knot the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the frame.

Zucker put his team back in front in the top of the fourth, driving in sophomore JC Ball however the Maroons tied it up once more in the bottom of the eighth to set the stage for an eventful ninth.

Tricarico had a fantastic game going 4-for-5 with a two-run shot in his first at bat of the season.  Zucker racked up three hits including a pair of doubles and an RBI while scoring a pair of runs. 

The Scarlet Raiders racked up 13 hits in the triumph, as Boulineau joined Zucker and Tricarico with multiple knocks.

Junior ace Anthony Rosoline had a strong outing, scattering nine hits over seven innings while walking none and striking out four. Vayas locked up the save with his three strikeouts in the ninth.

Roanoke 9, Rutgers-Newark 1
The Maroons rebounded quickly for the nightcap and their bats came alive in two big surges. While most innings were quiet, Roanoke exploded for six runs in the third and tacked on another three in the eighth en route to a comfortable win.

Newark totaled seven hits in the nightcap, getting two apiece from Zucker, Clare and Ball. Clare had the Rutgers-Newark RBI in the top half of the first frame.

Scarlet Raider senior starter Mike Zibrin went six innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs (six overall). He struck out six and walked two. Junior Casey Hanley and sophomore Vincent Conti tossed one inning each.

Catcher Robbie Edwards went 2-for-5 with five RBI to lead the Maroons.

Rizzi added, "We were not good enough defensively in either game but that's correctable. It's just great to start the season. Now we have some innings and at bats to work off of and improve."

The Scarlet Raiders will not play the College of Mount Saint Vincent tomorrow afternoon due to snow and rain in Virginia, but they will return to the diamond in North Carolina next week with matchups against New Rochelle and Frostburg State.