SOURCE: http://www.njcugothicknights.com/news/2018/4/22/201804-22_BASEBALL_vs_Montclair_State.aspx

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning to claim a 3-2 lead before Montclair State University (19-14, 7-7 NJAC) rallied with two runs in the top of the ninth and outlasted the Gothic Knight baseball team (17-15, 5-9 NJAC), 4-3, in a heartbreaking New Jersey Athletic Conference makeup game on April 22 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.

It was the second straight day NJCU had lost the lead at home in the ninth inning; the Knights held a 6-3 edge on No. 12/12 ranked TCNJ on April 21 before the Lions scored four times in the ninth to win, 7-6. Those two losses are the difference between being 7-7 in the league and right in the heart of the NJAC Tournament race and facing elimination.

Now with its NJAC Tournament hopes up against the wall, the Knights would need to win their final four conference games next week against Rowan and Rutgers-Camden and get some help to stay alive in the race. After starting the season 3-1 in the league, NJCU has dropped eight of the last 10 conference games.

In a well-pitched game by both starters, NJCU senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Kafer and Red Hawks senior right-handed pitcher Michael Manfra (Montville, N.J.), each threw in excess of 125 pitches but received a no decision.

Montclair State scored in the first inning before NJCU tied it in the third and the Red Hawks regained a 2-1 margin in the sixth. It remained that way until the bottom of the eighth.

Trailing 2-1, junior shortstop Nick LoGatto beat out a grounder to third and sophomore designated hitter Juan Pena reached on a softly hit single to second. With two runners on and one out, Manfra stepped off the mound and picked LoGatto off second, running him down for a big out. Pena, who had a big lead at first, moved up on a pitch in the dirt. Another wild pitch allowed Pena to go to third on ball four to senior first baseman Dan Berardi and when MSU sophomore catcher Justin Bates (Brick Township, N.J.) tried to throw Pena out, the ball dribbled away. Pena tried to turn third and score but was tripped by sophomore third baseman Joe Norton (Cranford, N.J.) and awarded home plate on the interference.

On the throwing error, Berardi took second base. Junior lefty Max Maarleveld (Rutherford, N.J.) came on in relief to try to keep the game tied, 2-2, but senior center fielder Mike Ramirez lined a go-ahead RBI single to right for a 3-2 lead, as Berardi slid in feet first to beat the throw to the plate.

But the tide changed again in the top of the ninth. Junior left fielder Nick Martinez (Wall, N.J.) singled with one out. Junior right-handed pitcher Anthony Carfora came on in relief and tried to nail down a two-out save. He fanned the first batter he faced, freshman designated hitter Andrew Ollwerther (Whitehouse Station, N.J.). The third out proved harder to get.

A wild pitch moved Martinez into scoring position where junior Connor Kelly (Shrewsbury, N.J.) pinch ran. Junior first baseman Ian Lynch (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) singled to deep left center to tie the game. Carfora got in a jam, walking and hitting the next two batters to load the bases. On a 3-2 pitch, Bates made up for his eighth-inning throwing error, walking to force in freshman pinch runner Rob Lombardo (Sandy Hook, Conn.) with the go-ahead run, 4-3. Carfora struck out the next batter to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Senior righty Mike Matarazzo (Montville, N.J.) retired NJCU 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning to nail down his first save.

Montclair State had 12 hits, led by Bates who batted 3-for-4 with the game-winning walk. Freshman second baseman Aidan Supp (Red Bank, N.J.), Lynch, Ollwerther and Martinez each had two hits, as those five players accounted for 11 of the 12 Red Hawk hits.

Pena was 2-for-4 with two runs for the Knights and Ramirez batted 2-for-4 with an RBI. LoGatto also batted 2-for-4.

Maarleveld was the pitcher of record when MSU regained the lead and ultimately ended up getting credited with his first win (1-0). Manfra went 7.2 innings, striking out five batters (two walks) against three runs (two earned) and seven hits. He fired 129 pitches. Manfra retired 10 Gothic Knights in a row between the fourth and eighth innings, and fanned back-to-back batters to end the seventh.

Kafer had a hard-luck no-decision, throwing 8.1 innings and 128 pitches. He struck out four, walked three and allowed just two earned runs and 11 hits. Kafer retired eight of nine batters between the second and fifth innings. He walked two batters in the fifth but got a two-out strikeout to get out of that jam.

Carfora (4-1) entered the day 4-0 on the season with two saves and 30 strikeouts in 26.2 innings, but suffered his first loss.

OTHER NOTABLE PLAYS:

• Montclair struck in the first. With two outs, Martinez and Ollwerther singled and scored on a two-out error.
• In the second inning, Bates singled with one out and was at second with two outs. Norton scorched a line drive to right and junior right fielder Jesse Kraft laid out, making a mid-air snow-cone diving catch to rob an extra-base hit and a MSU run. It was his third diving catch in the outfield this weekend.
• In the bottom of the second, Ramirez singled, advanced on an error and junior third baseman Matt Corsi singled to put runners on the corners with one out but the Knights couldn't score.
• NJCU tied it in the third. LoGatto singled with one out and advanced on a balk. He was retired on a force at third but Pena, who reached on the fielder's choice, stole second (21st in 23 tries) and hustled around third on a single through the left side by Berardi, who notched his 93rd career RBI.
• In the sixth, Lynch singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch to lead off the inning. Bates singled to left with two outs and Supp lined a single to right center to give Montclair back a 2-1 lead on the third hit of the inning.
• Berardi was robbed of a leadoff single to start the sixth when sophomore shortstop Hayden Reyes (Cranbury, N.J.) made a diving catch of a floater up the middle.

NOTABLES:

• Dan Berardi upped his career totals to 148 hits and 93 RBIs. He matched Charlie Auletto (1993-95) for 12th place in school history on the hits list. He is seventh on the RBIs list.
• The game was a makeup of a rainout on Thursday, April 19. Both teams were at the field and preparing to play before the skies opened up and heavy rain forced the postponement.

UP NEXT:

• NJCU will play its final non-conference home game at the Gerrity Complex on Tuesday, April 24 when it hosts Lehman College at 3:30 p.m.

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