MADISON, N.J. (April 3, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team shook off a pair of losses at The College of New Jersey Sunday by exploding for 17 hits and 14 runs in a 14-4 win at Drew University Monday afternoon.
 
With the win, Rutgers-Newark improves to 11-5 overall and has won eight of its last 11 games. A strong Drew team falls to 11-6 with the loss. 
 
Freshman starter Vincent Conti was excellent for the Scarlet Raiders, allowing just one unearned run on four hits over his first five innings.
 
In the sixth, the Scarlet Raider offense came alive, scoring three runs on four hits. Freshman Colin Powers got the rally started with a one-out double, and junior Justin Marks, sophomore Ryan Zucker and freshman JC Ball followed with run-scoring hits to give Rutgers-Newark a 3-1 edge.
 
Drew responded with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning, using three hits and an error to take a brief 4-3 lead.
 
Junior Anthony Perconte led off the seventh with an eight-pitch walk, eventually moving to third on a flyout and passed ball, and junior Brian Boulineau worked a walk to put runners at the corners with one out. An RBI groundout from Powers served as the equalizer, with Marks plating Boulineau and Zucker bringing home Marks thanks to two-out run-scoring singles.
 
Reliever Luis Rojas worked around a walk in the seventh, and junior Adam Tricarico came through with a double down the left-field-line in the eighth, driving in senior Josh Cote and Perconte who each singled and stole a base earlier in the inning. Boulineau doubled home Tricarico later in the inning, and Marks followed with another RBI single to make it a 10-4 game.
 
The offensive explosion continued in the ninth. Boulineau laced a two-run double, and both Tricarico and Powers had RBI singles to account for runs 11, 12, 13 and 14.
 
Rutgers-Newark pounded out 17 hits in the game, and six different players had multiple hits. Perconte went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot, and Marks went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs and three RBI. Zucker was 3-for-6 with a run scored and two RBI, Boulineau finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs, Tricarico finished 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBI and Powers was 2-for-5 with a run and two RBI.
 
Conti went 5.1 strong innings, giving up three unearned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Veteran Chas Bohannon tossed .2 to earn the win (1-1), and veteran Luis Rojas was marvelous over the final three innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit. He picked up his third save of the season.
 
What's next? Tuesday's matchup against DeSales University has been postponed, and Thursday's New Jersey Athletic Conference game against New Jersey City University is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start in Newark.
 
Notes:
-Monday was the seventh time Rutgers-Newark scored 10 or more runs in a game this season
-The 11 strikeouts for Rutgers-Newark pitching matches a season-high
-Rutgers-Newark had one hit in the first five innings and an incredible 16 in innings 6-through-9.
-Rojas' seven strikeouts ties the single-game high-water mark for the Scarlet Raiders this season, and he tossed just three innings
-Rutgers-Newark stole five bases Monday. Perconte had two of them.