Highlights | Photo Gallery
NEWARK, N.J. (April 26, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team rolled to a 15-4 New Jersey Athletic Conference victory over Stockton University Thursday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.
The Scarlet Raiders used a 10-run sixth inning to propel themselves to their 10th win of the season (10-23 overall, 2-13 NJAC) on Senior Day.
Prior to the game, Rutgers-Newark honored 12 seniors playing for the final time in the Brick City in
Joe Biggiani,
Brian Boulineau,
Nick Dispenza,
Dominick Fazio,
Ross Halkias,
Danny Iannaccone,
Justin Marks,
Anthony Perconte,
Greg Sampson,
Adam Tricarico,
Yanni Vayas and
Mike Zibrin.
The Scarlet Raiders will look for the series sweep at Stockton Friday (3:30 p.m.) and visit NJAC rival Montclair State University Saturday for a doubleheader to close the season. Stockton drops to 6-21 overall and 3-12 in the conference.
Holding a tenuous 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Rutgers-Newark exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits, sending 14 hitters to the plate. Dispenza roped two doubles in the inning, picking up the first RBI, while Zucker came through with the next run-scoring hit. Marks greeted a new Stockton hurler with a run-scoring missile to center, and Tricarico was the next Scarlet Raider with an RBI hit. A three-run double to left from Halkias kept the Scarlet Raiders rolling, and the final runs crossed on a RBI single from sophomore
JC Ball, a run-scoring groundout from Iannaconne and a base hit from Zucker.
The Scarlet Raiders took advantage of four-straight walks to start the game, scoring four runs on just one hit in the first inning. A walk to Tricarico with the bases loaded brought in the first run, Perconte's 100th career hit allowed Marks to cross and a wild pitch plated Boulineau. A Halkias sacrifice fly made it a 4-0 game, and after Stockton sliced the Newark lead in half with two in the third, a run-scoring single from Ball pushed the hosts' lead back to three (5-2).
Scarlet Raider starter
Michael Matusz masterfully stranded the bases loaded in the fourth, allowing just one run to cross, but the Ospreys added another marker in the fifth to make it a one-run ballgame.
Matusz ended his day after the fifth, allowing four runs on nine hits with a sterling seven strikeouts. He did not walk a batter and induced four groundball and four flyball outs. He improves to 2-3 on the season.
Samspon came on in relief of Matusz and had the best outing of his career. He hurled 3.1 scoreless frames, giving up just one hit and striking out two. He did not walk a batter. Fazio came on for the final two outs much to the delight of the home crowd. He walked the first batter he faced before promptly getting a game-ending double play.
Dispenza got the game ball, going 3-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored and two doubles. Iannaccone went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, and Ball was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Zucker went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, Tricarico went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, and Perconte was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Newark finished the game with 16 hits and the 15 runs are the most since a 27-run outburst back on February 23.
Fans can expect a Senior Day photo gallery posted at some point Friday, April 27.
