CAMDEN, N.J. (May 8, 2013) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to break up a scoreless pitchers' duel and senior Adam Satanoff (Pitman, NJ/Pitman) tossed a five-hit shutout as the Scarlet Raptors edged Stevens Institute of Technology, 2-0, in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Baseball Championships here Wednesday.
The Scarlet Raptors, seeded fifth in the ECAC tournament, advance to the semifinals Saturday against top-seeded St. John Fisher College (26-13) at a site and time to be determined.
Rutgers-Camden (23-18) was the fifth seed in the seven-team tournament, but hosted No. 4 Stevens (23-18) due to the Ducks hosting a NCAA lacrosse game the same day. Despite playing in their home park at Campbell's Field, the Scarlet Raptors batted as the visiting team and were locked in a scoreless game entering the top of the ninth inning.
With one out in the ninth, Rutgers-Camden junior third baseman Adrian Gonzalez (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) ripped an opposite-field line drive the barely tipped off the glove of leaping Ducks first baseman Michael Donovan (Frisco, TX/Adlai E. Stevenson, IL) and deflected down into the right field corner. Gonzalez wound up with a triple, forcing the Ducks to draw in their infield. Raptor sophomore first baseman Connor Hall (Delran, NJ/Delran) chopped a high bouncer over Donovan's head and ended up with a RBI double.
Senior designated hitter John Santilli (Folsom, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) followed with an opposite-field RBI single to left field for his 100th career hit. He became the second Raptor in the game to reach the 100-hit plateau, as senior centerfielder Albert Rivera (Matawan, NJ/Matawan Regional) singled to right-center in the fourth inning for his milestone hit. Rivera's hit broke up a perfect game by Stevens senior starter Tyler Courter (Glenwood, NJ/Vernon Township), who had retired the first nine Scarlet Raptors.
Rivera and Santilli became the 24th and 25th players in program history to reach 100 career hits.
Satanoff, meanwhile, increased his single-season program record with his 10th victory, hiking his record to 10-2 and lowering his ERA to 2.26. He allowed five singles – three of them by Courter – and retired the final four batters he faced. Satanoff struck out seven and walked two.
Courter, meanwhile, worked seven scoreless innings, allowing only the single to Rivera and a fifth-inning double by senior catcher Shaune Collins (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East). He struck out six and walked two, with one of them being a sixth-inning pass to Rivera, helping the Raptors' centerfielder set a single-season program record with his 31st walk of the year. He had been tied at 30 with former record-holder Nate Buchter (2007).
Courter, who went 3-for-3, was the lone player in the game with multiple hits.
Stevens junior southpaw Mark Poinsett (Ocean Gate, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) took the loss in relief. Poinsett (3-2) worked two innings, allowing four hits, one walk and two earned runs.