UNION, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University's baseball program proved on April 12 it could play with anybody in the country, but the heartbreak of a pair of one-run losses doesn't sting any less. NJCU received a pair of brilliant pitching efforts from junior right-handersKEVIN DEMAURO (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and MATTHEW WAGNER (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) but No. 6/7 Kean University scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning in game one to erase a 2-0 deficit and scored on a walk off double in the bottom of the 12th inning in a marathon, 1-0, game two result at Jim Hynes Stadium.
NJCU (9-15, 3-7 NJAC), which last year shocked Kean (21-7, 6-4 NJAC) when the Cougars were No. 1 in the country, nearly pulled off two upsets against a team that entered ranked No. 6 by D3baseball.com and No. 7 by the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III Poll.
NJCU was playing its first extra-innings game of the season and first since a 2-0 win at Centenary College on February 24, 2013. Meanwhile, the 12-inning length was the longest game since a 12-inning win over Stevens on April 23, 2001.
The Gothic Knights fell to 2-4 in one-run games this season and 8-15 in the last three seasons. NJCU lost a 1-0 game for the first time since also losing 1-0 against #3 Kean in Union on April 14, 2011.