February 27, 2018

Top NJAC teams win in season openers

More news about: Augsburg | Rowan | TCNJ | TCNJ
 
Tommy McCarthy was a perfect 3-for-3 in
TCNJ's 2018 season opener
TCNJ athletics photo

In their 2018 season opener The College of New Jersey defeated Gwynedd Mercy by a final score of 10-4 on Wednesday afternoon. Earning the win was Michael Fischer who put forward a solid start as he threw 5.2 innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out four. Dylan Crowley threw 1.1 clean innings of relief, and Joe Cirillo and Matt Curry each threw a scoreless inning to secure the win. At the plate, Tommy McCarthy finished the day 3-3 with three RBIs and a run scored, and Follet went 2-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Simon went 2-4 with a run scored, Anderson went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

A five-run third inning proved to be the difference as 23rd ranked Randolph-Macon defeated Chrstopher Newport 11-6. The undefeated Yellow Jackets improve to 6-0 where Christopher Newport falls to 8-4 on the season. Randolph Macon hit four home runs in the game by Shawn Nickles, Joseph Tuzzolo, Reece Yeargain, and Michael Nickles. They added three more extra-base knocks in the regional contest.

Lancaster Bible broke into the win column for the first two times this season in a big way, as the Chargers combined for 33 runs over two games, in a doubleheader sweep of Penn St. York. Freshman Noah McMullen pitched six terrific innings in the 16-1 game one victory, while the Chargers pounded 19 hits in game two's 17-2 victory. Lancaster Bible is now 2-5 this season, while the Nittany Lions dropped to 0-4.

Bluffton team rallied with three runs in the ninth for an 11-9 victory at Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday. Bluffton will take a 1-0 mark to Fort Myers, Fla., when the Beavers hit the field again on Sunday. Ryan Golden led the Bluffton offense, driving in four on two hits. Freshman Jacob Latkofsky went 3-for-5 to go along with two RBIs in his first collegiate outing. Colin Gregory was 2-of-4 and crossed the dish three times. Szalai drew four free passes, tying the school record, and scored four runs for the Beavers. Nine Beavers would head to the mound as Brantley Curnutte collected the victory following two innings of work. He struck out two batters, walked one and allowed one run on one hit.

Rowan opened the season in Glassboro for the first time on more than twenty years and came away with a 3-2 victory over Stevens. Center fielder Dan Shane was three-for-four with three runs scored and four stolen bases. Left-hander Drew Ryback earned the win in relief. He tossed two frames without allowing a hit and struck out one. Righty Jeremy Dyzenhaus went the final two innings for the save. He did not surrender a hit and fanned three batters. Right-hander Charlie Ruegger took the loss.

Jaime Kaye pitched a complete game shutout
for Augsburg's first win of the season in an
early game on Wednesday.
d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman

A pitching gem by Jaime Kaye in the first game and a walk-off grand slam by Walker Rogers in the second game helped Augsburg to a season-opening doubleheader sweep, 3-0 and 8-5, of the University of Wisconsin-Stout at U.S. Bank Stadium on Wednesday morning. In a scheduled seven-inning contest, Kaye went the distance and more, pitching a nine-inning, three-hit shutout, striking out six while not walking a batter. Of his 91 pitches, an incredible 72 were strikes. He only allowed four baserunners in the game, but had runners at first and third with nobody out in the top of the ninth inning. His defense helped him to clinch the win, pulling off a 6-4-3 double play and an outfield flyout to end the game. A dramatic bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Auggies to the second-game victory, which ended when Rogers hit a one-out, grand slam home run to left-center - his first collegiate home run.

With a total of 22 hits and with at-least one run in every inning but two the No 3 UMass-Boston pounded Lasell by the final of 20-1 at Monan Park in the 2018 season opener for both teams. The Beacons did not hit the ball out of the park but still recorded two inside the park home runs to go with eight doubles and  three triples.

Defiance topped Siena Heights 3-2 in its season opener at the SHU Baseball Diamond. The Yellow Jackets recorded three runs on six hits with three RBI. Sophomore Jon Brown claimed the opening day win pitching four complete innings, striking out two.

Hood remained unbeaten after defeating Gallaudet by a final score of 10-1 to improve to 6-0 on the season. Cam Esposito went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, four runs scored and two stole bases. Dylan Johnson walked in all three of his plate appearances, running his streak to seven straight bases on balls.

In its 2018 season opener, Adrian rallied from an early five-run deficit to stun host Huntingdon, 13-7, in non-conference play. Sophomore Tristin Richardson had two singles and drove in a pair of runs. Classmate Gunner Rainey also had two hits. Senior Preston Perry pitched three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first career varsity victory. He walked one and struck out two. Sophomore pitcher David Chavez also registered a save in his Adrian debut, going two innings while allowing one earned run (2 runs) and scattering six hits. Senior Hunter Hayes went 4-for-6 with two runs batted in.

Adding a game following the past weekend's cancellation of a trip to Birmingham Southern, North Park hosted their first home game of the season against the Dominican Stars. The Vikings won the contest 4-1. Cullen Gilbertson, Cam Adams, and Mitchell Jordan all knocked in runners and added extra-base hits to lead the Viking offense. Michael Pritts, Andy Robbins, Josh Ward, Justin Woolbright, and Josh Smith all threw scoreless innings. Striking out 8 batters, they allowed just 5 hits in 8 innings of work.

Eight Eastern pitchers threw in the 7-5 win
over Mass-Maritime.
Eastern athletics photo

Eastern rode a five-run fifth inning to to a 7-5 win over Mass Maritime. Starting on defense, the Eagles executed little things in the decisive fifth. With the game tied at 1-1, Matt Bunjo came on with the bases loaded and no one out in the top of the inning and minimized the damage entering their half of the inning losing 2-1. The Eagles used two bunts, a sac fly and two free passes to load the bases and knot the score at 2-2. Timmy Gorton, Eastern's senior catcher, delivered the big blow of the inning with a two-run single for his first two RBI's of the season. With two more runs in the latter part of the inning, Eastern was on their way to a win.

William Paterson had a runner on second base with one out during the bottom of the ninth inning but could not come up with the tying hit, as Drew held on to a 2-1 decision. Drew won despite getting only four hits, half of the Pioneers's total. Reliever Joshua Williams picked up the win (1-0) with 2.2 shutout innings of work, scattering three hits and a walk while punching out three. Freshman Vinny Doren earned his first save with 2.1 innings of two-hit, scoreless relief.

The combination of senior John D'Aquanno and sophomore Jacob Norris scored four runs and drove in seven as Stevenson won their 2018 home opener over non-conference visitor Immaculata by a final of 14-10 at Sugar Field. With the victory, the Mustangs go above .500 and run their winning streak to two. D'Aquanno went 3-6 on the day with a two-run homer and knocked in a game-high four.  Norris added three hits including a double and drove home three.  Sophomore leadoff man Kevin Murray Jr. chipped in two base knocks as well, scoring a run and plating one.  Junior Matthew Kerber scored three runs and drew a walk to go along with two hits.  Seniors Billy Small, Michael Rhodes, and sophomore Mark Terrell joined together for three hits, two RBIs, and a run scored.