Union, N.J. (3/12/21) – Head coach Neil Ioviero collected his 700th career win as the Kean University baseball team swept their season opener with New Jersey City University by the finals of 10-1 and 4-1 on Friday.
Ioviero, already the winningest coach in department history for all sports, has a 701-299-2 overall mark in his 24th season at Kean.
Game One – Kean 10, NJCU 1
After waiting 366 days to compete from last year, the #12 Cougars used an offensive explosion in game one to give Ioviero his 700th win. Junior Philip Mahlik led the charge with a 4-for-5 day with five RBI and an inside the park homerun.
The Cougars (2-0) scattered the scoring in five different innings, putting the game out of reach in the fifth as Michael Lapczynski registered an RBI double and Mahlik homered down the left field line, driving in three, to put the score at 9-0. Mahlik rounded out the scoring with an RBI double two innings later.
The Gothic Knights (0-3) scratched across a run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly to break up the shutout.
Justin Diefenbach earned the win with six innings of four hit, shutout ball. He fanned eight and allowed just one walk.
Kean racked up 15 hits in the opener, with seven extra base hits.
Offensively Chris Ciaccio was 1-for-5 with three RBI and a double for Kean while leadoff hitter Ricky Voss was 3-for-4 for NJCU.
Game Two – Kean 4, NJCU 1
Senior Frank LoGiudice tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on four hits for his first win of the season in the nightcap. LoGiudice struck out five and walked just one.
Michael Medvetz, who was 3-for-4 in game #2, got things started with an RBI double in the second. Kean made it 2-0 in the fourth as Phil Marcantonio scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a single.
NJCU cut the deficit in half in their half of the sixth as Voss doubled with two out. Brandon Rivera followed with a double of his own one batter later. LoGiudice worked out of the jam catching the runner off of second.
The Cougars added insurance in the sixth as Timothy Huxon doubled with two outs and later added one more in their last at-bat as Lapczynski scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a leadoff walk.
Marcantonio was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Kean returns to action on Saturday as they host William Paterson in non-conference action in doubleheader fashion at 2:30 p.m.