UNION, N.J. (April 19, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team was edged by Kean University in a pitcher's duel Thursday at Jim Hynes Stadium in Union. The final score was 2-0.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 9-20 overall and 1-10 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, while Kean improves to to 7-4 in the league and 16-16 overall. The two teams will play Friday in the series finale at 3:30 p.m. in Union.
 
Two freshman starters threw nicely for both teams. Scarlet Raider starter Michael Matusz went five-plus, allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck one, acquitting himself very well in a tough road start despite the loss (1-3).
 
Freshman Daniel Chiusano went 8.2 for Kean to earn the win. He allowed no runs on just four hits, striking out five and walking four to improve to 2-2 on the year.
 
Sophomore Michael Katims pitched incredibly for the Scarlet Raiders out of the bullpen, firing three scoreless frames. He came on in the sixth with two on and nobody out, and after an error, he proceeded to work out of the bases loaded jam to keep R-N within two. Katims allowed just one hit and one walk, and he struck out two in his three innings.
 
Rutgers-Newark put two runners on in the first, getting a base hit from junior Ryan Zucker and a two-out walk from Tricarico, but Chiusano was able to strand the pair. The Cougars pushed across a single run on a wild pitch in the second and one more on a squeeze bunt in the fourth to cap the scoring.
 
Senior Justin Marks was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth for the Scarlet Raiders and junior Dominic Magliaro led off the seventh with a knock, but in both cases Kean was able to work out of it.
 
In the ninth, walks to senior Anthony Perconte and junior Luke Magliaro put the tying runs on base, but Kyle Gaeb was able to get the final out for a one-out save.
 
Dominic Magliaro led the Rutgers-Newark offense with two hits, with Zucker and senior Brian Boulineau notching the others. Perconte worked two walks as the Scarlet Raiders totaled four hits and four walks in the game.
 
Kean recorded eight hits in the contest, getting a 3-for-4 performance from second baseman John Carello and a 2-for-4 day from Brandon Johannessen.