STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University's baseball team got back on the field after a rain-shortened week and its bats ignited for the most runs in a game in two years. The Gothic Knights broken open a 3-1 game with seven runs in the sixth inning, five more in the seventh and four in the top of the eighth, en route to a 19-9 non-conference road win over the College of Staten Island on March 24. NJCU led 15-1 before CSI scored in the final three innings.
NJCU (6-4) won for the sixth time in seven games as it pounded out 18 hits on the day. Every Gothic Knight in the opening lineup had a hit and scored a run and four different Knights had multiple hits. It was NJCU's largest run production since a 21-9 win at Mount Saint Mary on March 30, 2017. NJCU had eight extra-base hits in the win.
Senior second baseman Matt Corsi (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) continues to play red-hot baseball, batting 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Over his last five games, Corsi has seven RBIs and is hitting .500 with 10 hits (10-for-20) and a .565 on-base percentage.
Freshman first baseman Ricky Voss (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) scored four times and drove in two runs in a 3-for-5 effort with a triple and senior shortstop Nick LoGatto (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood) had the biggest hit of the game with a three-run triple to ignite the seven-run sixth inning. He finished with three RBIs and two runs, batting 2-for-7.
Also for NJCU, sophomore Brandon Rivera (Aberdeen, NJ/Matawan Regional) came in as a pinch hitter and had three RBIs; he ripped a bases-clearing two run double before later walking with the bases loaded in his other plate appearance. Junior right fielder Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) was 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
Senior center fielder Jesse Kraft (Nutley, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford) hit NJCU's first homerun of the season when he belted a two-run shot in the eighth inning. He had two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior third baseman Tom Pulcine (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) walked twice and scored two times while senior designated hitter Mike Albunia (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had two RBIs.
The offensive outburst overshadowed yet another dominant pitching performance from senior right-handed pitcher Fernando Guerrero (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth), this week's New Jersey Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. The Marshall transfer and team ace improved to 2-1, striking out six in 5.0 innings, allowing a run and three hits.
Four NJCU relievers pitched an inning each with senior righty Sean Gibney (Rutherford, NJ/Saint Mary-Rutherford) the most effective, tossing a scoreless sixth inning.
CSI finished with 12 hits. Its top three producers all came in as replacements. Freshman third baseman Joseph Manzi (Staten Island, N.Y.) led the Dolphins with two RBIs in a 3-for-3 showing. Freshman left fielder Nicholas Dedato (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with three runs and two RBIs (1-for-2, 1 walk) and freshman center fielder Jared Lerner (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had two RBIs.
Junior first baseman Anthony Lozada (Staten Island, N.Y.) was the lone starter to contribute in a meaningful way, going 2-for-5. CSI used six pitchers. Freshman righty Kevin Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y.) started and went 5.0 innings, allowing three runs and six hits with three strikeouts and two walks. He fell to 0-2 on the year, leaving the game with a 3-1 deficit, before NJCU blasted the next three relievers for 16 runs and 11 hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- NJCU led 1-0 after the top of the second inning as Pena led off with a double, stole second and scored on a Corsi RBI single before CSI tied it in the third on a throw at the end of a double steal attempt.
- NJCU regained the lead for good in the fourth, scoring twice on three hits. Corsi doubled with one out and scored on a triple to center by Voss. The former NJAC Rookie Player of the Week later scored on a ground ball from Albunia.
- The sixth inning brought 12 Gothic Knights to the plate as NJCU scored seven times on four hits before leaving the bags full. The first three batters of the inning—Voss, Albunia and rookie catcher Anthony Palmisano (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) all walked in succession and freshman left fielder Leo Colon (Carteret, NJ/St. Anthony (Jersey City)) was hit by a pitch for a 4-1 lead. After a balk advanced everyone a base (5-1), Pulcine walked—the fourth of the inning yielded by CSI pitching—and LoGatto made the Dolphins pay with a three-run triple to left center and an 8-1 advantage. RBI singles by Corsi and Albunia extended the margin to 10-1.
- In the seventh, NJCU plated five more runs on five hits. Pulcine led off with a double, Kraft walked and Pena singled to load the bases, before Corsi deposited a two-run single to right center for a 12-1 cushion. An RBI infield hit by Voss (13-1) and a two-run pinch-hit double by Rivera made it 15-1.
- After CSI scored three times in the bottom of the seventh—two on a triple by Lerner—NJCU got the runs back with four runs and three hits in the eighth. Kraft's two-run homer made it 17-4 before a pair of bases-loaded walks capped the scoring and push the lead to 19-4.
- CSI added a run in the bottom of the eighth and four in the ninth. Each team left 12 men on base.
UP NEXT:
NJCU heads to Brooklyn, N.Y. to face Baruch College (3-7) on Tuesday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. for its second straight opponent from the City University of New York Athletic Conference. The game will be played at MCU Park in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
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