MAHWAH, N.J. (April 21, 2018) – Ramapo College edged Rutgers University-Newark in two low-scoring New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball games Saturday at Jeff Maund Field in Mahwah.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 1-13 in the league and 9-23 overall, while Ramapo improves to 23-11 and 8-5 in the conference. The Scarlet Raiders will look to get back into the win column Thursday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium against conference foe Stockton University. Prior to the game, Rutgers-Newark will honor its seniors as part of the annual Senior Day festivities.
 
Ramapo 2, Rutgers-Newark 0
The starting pitchers were the story in the opener as junior Luis Rojas for the Scarlet Raiders and junior Cory Heitler for the Roadrunners matched zeros through five full innings of play. Ramapo was able to get two runs in the sixth inning to pick up the win, and Heitler went the distance for the Roadrunners, tossing a complete-game no-hitter.
 
Rojas allowed just one hit through the first five innings, working around a walk and two errors to keep the hosts off the board.
 
Ramapo scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on an infield single, two wild pitches, a hit batter and an intentional walk, opening a 2-0 lead, but Rojas avoided further damage and sent Ramapo down in the seventh.
 
Senior Anthony Perconte worked the second of his two walks in the Newark half of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but Heitler was able to get out of the inning.
 
Rojas finished the game for Rutgers-Newark in what was the best start of his career after being one of the best closers in the NJAC as a sophomore. He went eight innings, scattering three hits and striking out seven. The junior drops to 1-4 on the season with the tough-luck loss, throwing 116 pitches in all.
 
Ramapo 3, Rutgers-Newark 2
The starters tossed up zeroes for the first three frames of the nightcap, with Ramapo breaking a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth.
 
Newark quickly rebounded, tying the game at two-all in its half of the fifth inning. Sophomore JC Ball led off the inning with a single, and after a Perconte sac bunt, junior Ryan Zucker walked. Senior Brian Boulineau walked with two outs to load the bases, and senior Adam Tricarico followed with a two-run single to left.
 
The Roadrunners regained the edge with a single run in the bottom of the fifth off starting pitcher Casey Hanley who ended up throwing six strong innings for the Scarlet Raiders. He scattered eight hits and gave up three earned runs, walking one and striking out one. Sophomore Jason Palmeri threw the final two innings out of the pen, allowing no runs and one hit with a pair of K's.
 
Jon Brignoni improved to 3-1 with the win for the hosts, allowing two runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
 
Newark got the tying run to second with one out in the seventh, and a Tricarico single and Dominic Magliaro double put runners at second and third with one out in the eighth, but in both cases the Ramapo bullpen was able to get the outs it needed to lock up the win.
 
Tricarico led the Rutgers-Newark offense, going 3-for-3 with two RBI, and Ball finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Magliaro and senior Anthony Perconte had the other hits, with Tricarico adding a stolen base and hit by pitch to his strong game.