WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team ran its win streak to four and improved to 12-2 overall this season with a 6-3, come-from-behind victory against Farmingdale State (2-8) March 26.
The Rams crossed the plate first with a run during the top of the third inning. Sophomore third baseman Nick Osburn hit a two-out single to left center, stole second and scored, unearned, due to an error.
Senior right fielder Michael Marino's grounder ricocheted off a diving Victor Sanchez (Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland) and through the hole on the left side of the infield for an atypical double to start the fourth. Following a sacrifice and a groundout, Marino trotted home when senior left fielder Anthony Alvino doubled to right-center field to make it a 2-0 Farmingdale State lead.
The Pioneers evened the score during the bottom of the fourth. Freshman first baseman Anthony Hoagland (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) hit a sharp single to right center and junior designated hitter Jimmy Kenny (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex Regional) drove him in with an RBI-double to the gap in right center. Graduate student right fielder AJ Flores (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) then tied the score with his base hit into right-center field.
WP took its first lead of the day with a single fifth-inning score. Freshman third baseman Rob Eggert (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) produced a leadoff single and sophomore center fielder Mike Abate (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) followed with a walk. Junior left fielder Tyler Garguilo's (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) sacrifice moved the runners up 90 feet, setting up an intentional walk issued to Hoagland to load the bases, and a wild pitch allowed Eggert to scamper home from third for the go-ahead run.
Sanchez opened the fifth inning with a triple to right, and two batters later Eggert singled him in to make it a 4-2 margin.
Farmingdale State cut the lead in half during the top half of the eighth. Leadoff hitter Tom Rydzewski reached first on an error and stole second, then advanced to third on a groundout to the right side of the infield. Osburn's hard shot up the middle knocked in Rydzewski and made it a 4-3 game.
The Pioneers tacked on a pair of insurance runs during the home half of the same frame when Abate tripled in Eggert and sophomore catcher Brady Pevny (West Milford, N.J./West Milford).
Eggert was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored, while Hoagland finished 2-for-3 and crossed the plate once. Flores went 2-for-4 and drove in a run, and Sanchez had a triple and a run scored as part of his 2-for-4 effort.
Freshman starter Corey Martinez (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) picked up his first collegiate win (1-0), allowing four hits and two runs, one earned, with four strikeouts and two walks during his 7.0 innings. Classmate Bryan Kopko (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) gave up a hit and an unearned run during 1.0 inning of relief, and junior Mitch D'Amato (Edison, N.J./Edison) earned his third save by tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Alvino led the Rams at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Starter Dalton McCarthy took the loss (0-3), giving up six hits and three runs in 4.1 innings on the mound, striking out six and walking four.
William Paterson will start New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play Saturday, March 28, hosting Rutgers-Camden for a doubleheader at 11:30 a.m.
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