BARUCH SCORES NINE UNANSWERED, RALLIES TO TOP NJCU, 11-3

CONEY ISLAND, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 3-2 before Baruch College scored nine unanswered runs, including five in the fifth inning to break open a two-run game as the Bearcats defeated the Gothic Knights, 11-3, in a non-conference game on Tuesday at MCU Park—the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Baruch (13-17) had its biggest offensive showing since scoring 13 runs in a loss to fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Rutgers-Newark on March 29. NJCU falls to 6-27. Baruch owned a 16-10 advantage in hits in the contest and had eight stolen bases.

In defeat junior shortstop ROB GONZALEZ (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) generated a 3-for-5, one-run effort and swiped his 20^th base of the season. Gonzalez climbed into second place in the 64-year history of the program with 168 hits in only three seasons of action, eclipsing Phil Zaffarano's total of 167 hits from 1994-97.

Gonzalez was the only NJCU player with multiple hits in the game. The Knights scored three runs in the third inning but were held off the scoreboard the remainder of the game.

Baruch had six players produce multiple hits led by junior center fielder Alvin Mata (Tuckahoe, NY) who was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, three steals and two runs. Junior first baseman Jonathan Ovalles (Bronx, NY) was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs and junior right fielder Thomas Dally (Valley Stream, NY) had two RBIs and two doubles, batting 2-for-4.

Also for the Bearcats, senior second baseman Anthony Melendez (Bronx, NY) was 2-for-3 with two runs, a double and steal. Freshman left fielder John Yuksekol (Bronx, NY) was 2-for-5 with two steals and senior catcher Manuel Guerrero (Queens, NY) added two hits with a run and RBI.

Senior Jason Valentin (Bronx, NY) was the winning pitcher (3-3) after striking out five against one walk in eight innings. He allowed three runs and 10 hits before senior Kellin Bliss (Catskill, NY) closed out the ninth.

Senior righty WESTLEY LOPEZ (West New York, NJ/Memorial) suffered the loss (0-3), allowing seven runs and 10 hits in four innings, walking two. Sophomore righty MICHAEL KELLY (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) tallied five strikeouts in four innings and walked three, allowing four runs and six hits.

Baruch led 2-0 after the second inning as Ovalles singled and scored on a double by Melendez, before he came home on another RBI single.

NJCU plated its three runs in the third inning to claim a 3-2 cushion. With one out, junior second baseman CHRISTOPHER MIRABILE (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) doubled, Gonzalez singled and senior right fielder JORGE GUTIERREZ (Sewaren, NJ/Hudson Catholic) walked to load the bases. With two outs, senior designated hitter JORDAN TETRICK (Delray Beach, FL/Radnor (Pa.)), senior first baseman MICHAEL FIORENTINO (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) and sophomore left fielder ANDREW RIVERA (Edison, NJ/Edison) produced back-to-back-to-back RBI singles as NJCU moved ahead before stranding the bases loaded in the inning.

But the one-run lead did not hold after Baruch answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to seize a 5-3 margin. Yuksekol singled and scored on a double by Daly to tie the game before Mata and Ovalles followed with RBI singles in a five-hit inning for the Bearcats.

Baruch opened up a sizeable lead with five runs in the fifth inning, despite only two hits as the NJCU pitchers surrendered four walks and one hit batter in the frame as nine players came to the plate. After two walks and a wild pitch led to the first run, an RBI single by Guerrero made it 7-3. Daly pushed home a run when he was hit by a pitch with the based full and Mata extended the lead to 10-3 with a two-run single before being caught in a rundown to end the inning. Baruch added an 11^th run on an eighth inning RBI single by Ovalles. NJCU left one runner on base in each of the final four innings without scoring.

NJCU returns to action on Wednesday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. when it hosts Montclair State University in the opening game of a two-game home-and-home NJAC series against the Red Hawks; the game was moved up one day from an original Thursday, April 28 listing. Senior center fielder KEN WITTE (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional) will enter the game needing one hit to become the 34^th member of NJCU's 100-hit club after going 0-for-5 in the loss to Baruch.

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