WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (4-1) seized a first-inning lead and never looked back, defeating visiting NYU (1-1) by a 7-2 score March 5.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Violets took advantage of a two-out walk and double for a 1-0 edge during their initial at-bat.
- That lead was short lived, however, because the Pioneers answered with a three-run first. Junior center fielder Steven DiGirolamo (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) opened the frame with a double to left center and junior first baseman Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) promptly followed with an RBI-single into right-center field. Junior right fielder Dan Carter (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) dropped a double inside the right-field line, and with two outs junior designated hitter Dylan Habeeb (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) lined a two-run single into center.
- WP made it a 4-1 game after two innings when sophomore second baseman Colin Lombardo (Edison, N.J./Edison) led off with a base hit, moved to third on a pair of wild pitches, and touched home when junior catcher Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) singled to center.
- Two more runs crossed the plate for William Paterson in the bottom of the fourth. Junior shortstop Greg Cuevas (West New York, N.J./St. Mary (Rutherford)) was issued a seven-pitch base on balls, he stole second and scored via a DiGirolamo triple to the center-field fence. Two batters later, DiGirolamo scampered home on a ground ball to the right side.
- NYU had a double and single with two outs during the top half of the sixth, making it a 6-2 margin.
- Cuevas singled in Lombrado, who had launched a triple to center, for the game's final run in the home half of the eighth.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Lombardo went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored, while DiGirolamo finished 2-for-4 while posting a double, triple, RBI and pair of runs. Eight different Pioneers accounted for the team's 11 hits.
- Junior Jason Palmeri (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) faced one batter in the fifth, finishing with a line of one run allowed on two hits and five walks with seven strikeouts during his 4.0 innings as the starter. Freshman Elian Mendez (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) tossed 3.0 innings of one-run ball during his first career appearance, surrendering three hits while striking out six for the victory (1-0). Senior Jack DeFouw (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) handled the final 2.0 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while punching out one batter.
- DiGirolamo moved into a tie for fifth place on the WP chart with his 12th career triple.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson plays a pair of home games against Keene State Sunday, March 8, starting at 11:00 a.m.
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