GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University baseball team opened the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament with a 10-3 victory over visiting Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday.
The Profs (27-14) are the third seed while the Scarlet Raiders (23-14-1) are seeded fourth. Rowan advances to play fifth-seeded Kean University on Friday, May 5 at 7 p.m. Rutgers-Newark faces the top seed The College of New Jersey on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The remainder of the double elimination tournament is being contested at Kean University. In the other first round games, TCNJ defeated #6 William Paterson University, 18-6 while Kean bested the second seed Ramapo College, 4-3.
Right-hander Brad Machinski (sr. Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill W.) hurled seven innings for the win. He (6-1) allowed just one run and four hits while striking out six. Righty Dominick Fazio (jr. Haworth, NJ/Northern Valley Demarest) took the loss (2-2).
Designated hitter Monny Strickland (jr. Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) led the Profs with three hits (five at bats), a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Second baseman Alex Kokos (fr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley), third baseman Matt Jolly (sr. Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) and first baseman Dillon Mendel (so. Sparta, NJ/Sparta) all totaled three hits. Mendel recorded a double and scored one time.
Center fielder Frankie Aiello (fr. Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) and Jolly drove in two runs apiece. Catcher Steven Hewa (so. Galloway, NJ/Absegami) had one RBI and Kokos tallied four runs. Left fielder Shawn Leydon (jr. Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury), Mendel, Hewa and Aiello each crossed the plate one time.
Shortstop Ryan Zucker (so. Mountainside, NJ/Governor Livingston) and catcher Justin Marks (jr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) registered two hits apiece for the Scarlet Raiders. Zucker knocked in one run and Marks scored twice. Left fielder Josh Cote (sr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) and right fielder Adam Tricarico (jr. Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) each produced one RBI. Tricarico hit a triple and center fielder John Klimowich (fr. Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) and Marks both had a double. Klimowich came home one time.
Each team put up a run in the first. Tricarico's triple plated Marks and Jolly had a base hit to score Kokos. Rowan took the lead with two runs in the third. Strickland and Hewa each had a RBI single. Strickland drove in another run in the fourth for a 4-1 advantage.
The Profs broke the game open with six runs in the fifth. Aiello recorded a two-run single before coming home on an error. Strickland doubled to left center and Kokos and Leydon came around to score. Jolly's base hit brought home Strickland. Rutgers-Newark posted a run in the eighth and ninth. Cote plated Marks with a base hit and Zucker had a sacrifice fly to score Klimowich.