JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior designated hitter Mike Ramirez and junior second baseman Tom Pulcine each had four hits and four RBIs and senior first baseman Dan Berardi chalked up his 150th career hit to punctuate a dominant 15-3 non-conference win for the New Jersey City University baseball team (18-15) over Lehman College (14-18) on April 24 at the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex.

NJCU's bats came alive with 18 hits, including seven extra-base hits—five doubles, one triple and two home runs—and the New Jersey Athletic Conference steal leaders swiped seven bases without being caught.

NJCU scored in seven of the first eight innings and produced multiple runs in five different turns at bat, including a pair of four-run innings.

Pulcine was 4-for-4 with four RBIs in the leadoff spot, two runs, and two steals and walked to reach base five times. Ramirez was 4-for-5 with four RBIs, two runs, and a homer shy of the cycle.

Berardi became the 11th player in NJCU's history to reach 150 career hits. Remarkably, he is the fifth player recruited by seventh-year head coach Jerry Smith to reach the milestone. Berardi also notched his 36th career double to pass former teammate Michael Martucci (2012-15) for No. 2 on the all-time list. Berardi finished the day 2-for-5 with two runs.

A multitude of other Gothic Knights contributed at the plate. Junior shortstop/third baseman Nick LoGatto was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs, including his fourth homer of the season. He is now 20-for-20 in stolen bases this season. Junior catcher Jan Castellano hit his first homer as a Gothic Knight and scored three-times, batting 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Junior center fielder Jesse Kraft was 2-for-4 (1 run, 1 RBI) and junior third baseman Matt Corsi scored twice (1-for-3, 1 RBI).

Junior right-handed pitcher Sean Gibney opened the game and earned the win (1-1), throwing 5.2 innings of four-hit baseball. He allowed two earned runs, striking out four (three walks) over 107 pitches.

Junior left-handed pitcher Kyle McCabe fired 2.1 shutout innings, scattering four hits over 26 pitches. Freshman righty Brandon Kuhl needed 10 pitches to toss a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

For Lehman, senior third baseman Natanael Toribio (Bronx, N.Y.) hit a two-run homer in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2. He finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Senior designated hitter Carlo Francisco (Yonkers, N.Y.) was 2-for-5.

The Lightning used three pitchers. Junior righty Jose Albrincole (Bronx, N.Y.) started and went 4.2 innings, allowing nine runs and 11 hits over 111 pitches to fall to 3-3 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In the first inning for NJCU, Pulcine walked, LoGatto singled to left and sophomore right fielder and NJAC Rookie Player of the Week Juan Pena was hit by a pitch. Berardi grounded into a double play but the lead run crossed. Ramirez lined a two-out single to left to score a run. Kraft also singled through the left side before Lehman retired the lead runner in a play at the plate.
• In the second, Lehman had a runner reach on an error and Toribio aired out a high fly to left that just cleared the fence for a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. It was just the fourth homer allowed by NJCU pitching this season.
• After the Lehman homer in the second, Gibney struck out the final two batters of the second inning then held Lehman without a hit until a single up the middle with one out in the sixth. A sac fly gave Lehman its first run since the second inning and final run of the day.
• In the bottom of the inning, Corsi worked out a walk and Castellano lined a homer over the left center fence for a 4-2 lead and his first homer as a Gothic Knight. NJCU never trailed again.
• Lehman got Toribio to third after a walk, steal and error but two fly outs, including a running catch by Pulcine and a deep fly to the fence in left to sophomore Bill Feehan ended the threat.
• In the bottom of the fourth, Castellano walked, stole second with one out and scored on a single to right by Pulcine. Pena hit a long fly ball to the fence that was knocked down by the wind to end the inning; he didn't miss a homer by much.
• NJCU scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Feehan lined NJCU's 75th double of the season to the gap in left center with one out, and he was driven in by Ramirez for a 6-2 lead on a single to center. After Ramirez beat the throw to second, Corsi floated a bloop single over the head of the drawn in second baseman to score Ramirez for a 7-2 lead. Pulcine deposited a two-run single down the right field line to expand the lead to 9-2. Pulcine stole second and third and LoGatto walked and stole second before both were stranded.
• Berardi led off with the sixth with a first pitch double down the left field line—the 36th of his career. Ramirez lifted a long triple to right center for a 10-3 lead. A sac fly to left by Kraft made it 11-3.
• McCabe got an inning-ending double play in the seventh after a pair of singles.
• In the bottom of the seventh, NJCU scored four more runs. Castellano blooped an opposite-field double down the right field line. Pulcine's fourth RBI of the game, a single to left center, made it 12-3. LoGatto destroyed the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a 14-3 lead, his fourth homer of the year and NJCU's 16th of the season. Berardi followed with a single to left center for his 150th career hit. Ramirez drove him in with another double and a final 15-3 margin.

QUOTABLES:

• Postgame interviews on Facebook Live:
• • Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/NJCUGothicKnights/videos/10155852430304915/
  • Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/NJCUGothicKnights/videos/10155852438029915/

NOTABLES:

• Dan Berardi moved past Charlie Auletto (1993-95, 148 hits) and Jonathan Thomas (2001-04, 149 hits) on the career hits list.
• NJCU wins 18 games for the second consecutive season and just the seventh time in school history it has won 18 or more in a season (1986, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2018).
• NJCU is one win shy of matching the single-season record of 19 victories accomplished three times—1986, 1995 and 2005.
• NJCU tied the single-season program record with 78 doubles, matching its previous record set in 2010.
• With 16 homers and two on the day, it marks the 11th time in school history NJCU has hit 15+ homers in a season.
• As a team, NJCU currently leads the NJAC in the following categories:
• • Stolen Bases (92; TCNJ is a distant second with 58...34 fewer than NJCU)
  • Stolen Bases Attempted (110; Kean is second with 87)
  • Doubles (78; Rowan is second with 72)
  • Home Runs (16; Rowan is second with 14)
  • RBIs (201; TCNJ is second with 199)
  • Total Bases (478; Rowan is second with 466)
  • Slugging Percentage (.425; TCNJ is second with .419)
  • Sacrifice flies (24; TCNJ is second with 19)
• As a team, NJCU currently ranked second in the NJAC in the following categories: runs (223) and on-base percentage (.394).
• NJCU has only grounded into nine double plays all season—third lowest in the league (Rowan, TCNJ, 7 each)

UP NEXT:

• NJCU will seek to tie the single wins record when it plays Mount Saint Mary College (NY) tomorrow—Wednesday, April 25 at 4 p.m.—in a non-conference game at the MSMC Baseball/Softball Complex in Newburgh, N.Y. Live coverage of the road game will not be available. The game is a makeup from a Nor'easter on March 13. The Blue Knights are 21-8-1 overall and at 13-3-0 in the Skyline Conference are in first place in the league.

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