NEWARK, N.J. (March 26, 2016) – Senior hurler Ryan MacFarlane tossed a complete-game four-hitter to help the Rutgers University-Newark baseball team earn a split with Centenary College Saturday at Riverfront Stadium.
 
After falling by a score of 4-1 in the opener, MacFarlane pitched the Raiders to a 3-1 victory in the finale, allowing just one run and striking out 10. The 10 strikeouts are a career-high for MacFarlane and a season-high for the Scarlet Raiders.
 
Rutgers-Newark is now 7-10 on the season, and Centenary is 9-7.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will return to action Monday when they host Muhlenberg College at Riverfront Stadium. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
 
Centenary 4, Rutgers-Newark 1 – Game 1
Game one was a pitcher's duel, taking just 92 minutes to play seven innings and seeing both starters go the distance. Sophomore Mike Zibrin was the hard-luck loser, allowing four runs (two earned) over seven excellent frames to fall to 1-2 on the season. Zibrin retired the side in order in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, sending down the final 17 batters he faced. He struck out six, walked none and scattered five hits.
 
Sophomore Trey Hinkle earned the win for Centenary to improve to 3-1 on the season. He struck out 10, allowed one unearned run and gave up just four hits.
 
Centenary scored one run on three hits in the first and three more in the second to open a 4-0 lead, but Zibrin settled in splendidly, not allowing a single baserunner after shortstop John Tierney reached on an error with one out in the second to give his offense a chance to come back.
 
R-N was able to get one run back in the bottom of the second after a leadoff double from senior first baseman Cameron Dias. Dias advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt by Hinkle, crossing the plate on an RBI groundout from sophomore right fielder Danny Iannaccone.
 
That would be it for the Scarlet Raiders though they did threaten in the fifth with back-to-back one-out singles from Iannaccone and sophomore third baseman Brian Boulineau.
 
Dias scored the only Newark run of the game, going 1-for-3 (R, 2B), and Iannaccone, Boulinea and sophomore designated hitter Ross Halkias picked up the other Newark hits.
 
Junior infielder Nick Daniele and sophomore designated hitter Kevin Sensale had run-scoring hits for Centenary.
 
Rutgers-Newark 3, Centenary 1 – Game 2
The second game started similar to the first as Scarlet Raider starter Ryan MacFarlane struck out the side in the first and sent down the first 10 Cyclones to step into the box. Centenary starter Jimmy Kraivec nearly matched MacFarlane in the early going, giving up just four hits in his first four innings for work and keeping Rutgers-Newark off the board.
 
Centenary took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, using its first two hits of the game to plate one run, but MacFarlane kept the Cyclones off the scoreboard further to allow the Raider offense to come back and take the lead in the fifth.
 
Sophomore center fielder Anthony Perconte led off the inning with a single, moving to second on the back of a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Iannaccone. Perconte advanced to third on a passed ball, eventually scoring on a fielder's choice groundout from sophomore designated hitter Justin Marks. A throwing error enabled Marks to move to second, and Dias reached after getting hit by a pitch. Marks would score on an error, and Dias came in on two-out single from freshman third baseman Nolan Rivera.
 
MacFarlane did the rest for the Scarlet Raiders, putting down the Cyclones in order in the sixth and allowing just a single runner to reach base with two outs in the seventh. His final line was seven innings, four hits, one earned run and 10 strikeouts. He is now 1-1 on the year with a 1.84 earned-run average.
 
Freshman second baseman Ryan Zucker led the offense with two hits (2-for-3) as Newark totaled seven knocks and three walks in the second game. Perconte was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two sac bunts, and Rivera was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. 

Stat of the Day: Mike Zibrin retired the final 17 batters he faced, and Ryan MacFarlane sent down the first 10 he saw...at one point, Rutgers-Newark retired 27-straight Centenary batters.