GLASSBORO, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (17-16, 6-7 NJAC) suffered a 17-7 loss at Rowan (21-13, 9-4 NJAC) April 23.
Game two of the originally-scheduled doubleheader will be played Sunday, April 24, at 12:00 p.m.
Junior center fielder Mike Abate (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) opened the contest with a triple to center and scored two batters later on a groundout by junior catcher Mike Knauf (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan).
A solo home run by senior right fielder Jimmy Kenny (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex Regional) made it 2-0 during the top of the second inning.
Three straight singles by senior first baseman Steven Todd, senior catcher Greg Myers and junior right fielder Nick Golla put the Profs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third, followed by a wild pitch, Bret Phillips RBI-groundout, Eric Oliver run-scoring single, Dillon Mendel base hit, double steal, Jason Clapper single and wild pitch to make it a 5-2 margin.
Rowan added seven more in the fourth. Golla singled and Phillips walked before Oliver sacrificed and Mendel hit a two-run double to center field. Clapper had an infield base hit and a double steal added another score, and a Matt Jolly walk, wild pitch and back-to-back run-scoring singles from senior second baseman Evan Hughes and Todd led to Phillips' base hit that plated two Profs.
A single, two walks and a fielder's choice left the Profs with the bases loaded during the home half of the sixth, and Mendel's double pushed Rowan's lead to 14-2.
Sophomore first baseman Anthony Hoagland(Dumont, N.J./Dumont) reached base thanks to an error to open the seventh, and after a popup and strikeout, junior left fielder Mike Rowe (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) had an infield base hit and graduate student shortstop K.C. Abel (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) hit an RBI-single to right field.
A Todd single and Myers double added a Prof run in the home half of the seventh, and a hit by pitch, fielder's choice and error added one more run for a 16-3 score.
The Pioneers crossed the plate four times in the eighth. Junior designated hitter Eriq Colon (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) reached first on a leadoff error, Kenny singled to left field and another error put sophomore second baseman Jacob Bailey (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) aboard and loaded the bases. Freshman Garret Wiedemann (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) delivered a pinch-hit RBI-single to shortstop, and senior Jordan Aughey (Wanaque, N.J./Lakeland Regional) added another infield single to plate Kenny. After a Jon Bernotas (Andover, N.J./Newton) bases-loaded walk, Rowe singled in Wiedemann.
A bases-loaded fielder's choice off the bat of Golla drove in the game's final run during the bottom of the eighth.
Kenny was 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored. Abel went 2-for-5 with an RBI, Abate finished 1-for-2 while adding a triple and run scored, and Rowe was 2-for-2 and drove in a run.
Freshman Chris Babb (West Milford, N.J./DePaul Catholic) pitched the first 2.0 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with one strikeout (3-2). Junior Mike Sasso (West Orange, N.J./Montclair Kimberley) gave up seven runs (six earned), seven hits and two walks with striking out one over 1.2 innings. Freshman Jeff Lombardi (Kendall Park, N.J./South Brunswick) surrendered seven hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks in 2.1 innings of work, and classmate Chris Phillips (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) allowed one unearned run on two hits with one strikeout over 2.0 innings.
Mendel went 4-for-6 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored for Rowan. Junior starter Brad Machinski improved to 3-1 with 7.0 innings of three-run ball (two earned), giving up seven hits while registering four strikeouts.
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