Union, N.J. (5/2/13) – Rookie Ryan Kelley found the hole between second and third to push the Kean University baseball team past Richard Stockton College, 7-6, in 11 innings in round two of the NJAC Tournament on Thursday.
Junior Tyler Smarslok led off the bottom of the 11th with a single and moved to second with some small ball. With first base open, the Ospreys (23-18) elected to walk the NJAC Player of the Year Nick Ramagli intentionally. One batter later with two outs on the board, freshman Salvatore Taormina worked a walk to load the bases for Kelley. Kelley worked the count to 3-0 before relief pitcher Ryan Adamski battled back for two straight strike calls to push the count full. Kelley then delivered the game winner through the left side, sending Smarlsok home with the winning run.
Rookie Chris Amato earned the win with a stellar relief appearance. Amato (2-0) allowed just four singles in four and two thirds innings. He struck out three and walked two.
It was a see-saw battle in the early going as Stockton scored single runs in the first and fourth aided by Cougar miscues. Kean (32-8) took their first lead of the day with a two run fifth. Down, 2-1, Smarslok led off the inning as he was hit-by-a-pitch, one of four times he would be hit on the day. He would later cross the plate on a Stockton miscue, knotting the score at two-all. Junior Joe O'Connor gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead with an RBI single up the middle.
The Ospreys regained the lead with a four run outburst in the top of the seventh. Stockton used four singles to fuel them to a 6-3 lead. That lead was short lived as Kean responded in the same inning to tie the game at six-all. An RBI double from Ramagli and a two RBI double from Taormina tied the game for the second time in the contest.
Smarslok was 1-for-2 with three runs scored, as he was hit four times on the afternoon. Ramagli, Kelley, Taormina and sophomore Andy Lopez all collected two hits apiece as Kean recorded 14 on the day.
Amanski suffered the loss for Stockton. Adamski (1-2) allowed one run and three hits in two and a third innings of relief. Offensively, senior Barry Larro was 3-for-3 with three walks and two runs scored. The loss eliminates Stockton from the double-elimination tournament.
In other NJAC action, #3 Rowan University defeated #2 William Paterson University, 15-5, while #5 Ramapo edged #6 The College of New Jersey, 10-6. TCNJ is also eliminated from the tournament. That sets up #1 Kean vs. #3 Rowan at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with #2 William Paterson vs. #5 Ramapo following at 11:30 a.m.