CAMDEN, N.J. (March 25, 2023) – On a cold, raw, wet day that was a nightmare for most pitchers, the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team found clutch pitching after it had fallen into a big early hole. That clutch pitching helped the Scarlet Raptors rally past Ursinus College, 15-10, in the opening game of a doubleheader and continue to a 5-0 sweep in the nightcap in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday.
The marathon day, which was delayed 2-1/2 hours from the scheduled 11:30 a.m. start due to rain, helped Rutgers-Camden improve to 10-6. The Scarlet Raptors, who blanked the Bears over the final 15 innings of the doubleheader, have won seven of their last eight games.
Ursinus falls to 8-12.
The Raptors return to action Tuesday night, hosting Rosemont College at 6 p.m.
Rutgers-Camden 15, Ursinus 10
In a game that lasted 3:32, the two teams combined for 25 runs, 24 hits, 22 walks, 12 wild pitches, four hit batsmen and three balks. After 2-1/2 innings, the visiting Bears held a 10-4 lead, but Rutgers-Camden kept chipping away, thanks in large part to the five-inning shutdown relief stint by senior southpaw Jacob Brennan. Brennan (1-0), who earned his first career win with the Scarlet Raptors, worked five innings of two-hit shutout ball, walking two and striking out four.
The Scarlet Raptors closed the gap to 10-7 with three runs in the bottom of the third and tied the game in the fourth inning on a three-run home run by junior shortstop Giacomo Antonicello. They scored the eventual winning run in a two-run fifth inning when sophomore catcher Andrew Brown walked, moved up on a walk to senior designated hitter Jack Murphy and advanced to third and home on a pair of wild pitches. Murphy scored on an infield single by sophomore Chris Bonafiglia.
Rutgers-Camden added a run in the sixth on Murphy's bases-loaded walk and tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh on RBI doubles by senior second baseman Danny Vazquez and Brown.
For the game, both Brown and Antonicello collected four RBIs. Freshman right fielder Jacob Watson and Vazquez both collected three hits, with Watson scoring four times and Vazquez notching two runs and two RBIs. Brown, Bonafiglia and junior center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics collected two hits apiece, with Uzdanovics scoring three runs.
Rutgers-Camden 5, Ursinus 0
The second game featured an outstanding pitching performance by senior Ethan Carpenter, who raised his record to 3-0 with eight innings of four-hit shutout ball. He walked three and struck out six. Freshman Gavin Cunard closed out the shutout in the ninth inning, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out two.
Bonafiglia was the offensive hero in the nightcap, going 4-for-4 with one run and one RBI. He ripped a solo home run to put the Raptors on the board in the third inning, had a single in the fourth inning and collected doubles in both the sixth and eighth innings, barely missing the triple he needed for a cycle. Over the doubleheader he went 6-for-9 to raise his batting average to .350.
Junior designated hitter Dustin Bellis went 1-for-3 with a two-run single in the fourth inning. Sophomore right fielder Frankie Romond and Brown drove home runs in the two-run fifth inning.