JERSEY CITY, N.J. — On a balmy winter day (yes, March 19 is still winter) with the winds gusting near 30 miles per hour at Caven Point Field and turning base hits into sliced golf shots, the New Jersey City University baseball team picked up a stellar home-opening win on Friday afternoon. The Gothic Knights, led by junior knuckleballer Paul Tannucilli (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge), picked up the 7-0 win over Rutgers-Camden.

NJCU (2-3) earned its second straight victory, and second of the 2021 season, on Friday as they controlled the game all day long against the Scarlet Raptors (0-1). Tannucilli shined on the mound for seven innings of scoreless ball, striking out a career-high eight batters on six hits. The junior cruised through his first four innings before facing any adversity.

His first taste of turmoil came in the top of the fifth when he hit a pair of batters and threw a wild pitch to find himself in a one-out, runners-on-first-and-second scenario. However, a nice play at short from sophomore Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) to make the second out at second stopped the bleeding. Tannucilli then took matters into his own hands, mixing in a couple fastballs to notch the inning-ending strikeout, accompanied by the loud cheers of his teammates. The sixth inning brought a little more trouble for Tannucilli, as the Scarlet Raptors managed to load the bases with one out. Thankfully, he was able to get the next batter to ground out to senior second baseman Brandon Rivera (Aberdeen, N.J./Matawan Regional) to start an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Tannucilli concluded his dominant performance with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, striking out two to finish the inning and his day with 106 pitches. Sophomore Aaron Ayers (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan), already in the midst of his own good year as a reliever, entered the game and finished out the final two innings. He has now tossed a total of 9.0 scoreless innings on the young season.

Offensively, NJCU was able to get runners on base early and often, and then put pressure on the Rutgers-Camden pitchers on the basepads by going 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. The scoring started in the bottom of the first when junior designated hitter Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run. The next batter, Vizzoni, also earned a RBI with a bases-loaded walk. In the second inning with two outs, sophomore rightfielder Justin Wiltsey (Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Hamilton West) hit a slow roller just past the Rutgers-Camden pitcher to allow junior first baseman Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) to score.

Freshman leftfielder Elijah Colon (Carteret, N.J./Carteret), younger brother of Leo, notched the next RBI by plating Vizzoni from third with a single through the right side. Vizzoni reached earlier after being hit by a pitch and then made his way to third following an errant pickoff attempt. Neither team scored until NJCU got on the board with a pair in the bottom of the seventh. Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) reached on a one-out error at third, then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a wild pitch. Vizzoni then walked and advanced to third via a single from freshman third baseman Nick Chiappisi (Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township). The latter advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then Vizzoni scored from third on another wild pitch.

The last run of the game came in the bottom of the eighth as Rivera led off with a single to right. He then advanced to second on a balk and then got to third thanks to a single from senior centerfielder Juan Pena (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy). Pena then stole second and the failed throw attempt from the catcher rolled into the outfield, allowing Rivera to score from third.

Highlights:
- Voss recorded his third multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, was hit by a pitch and scored a run.
- Junior catcher Sebastian Bellone (Matawan, N.J./St. John Vianney) also had two hits, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base.
- Vizzoni finished 0-for-1 with a RBI, scored a run, walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

What's Next:
NJCU returns to the road for a doubleheader at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., on Saturday, March 20, at 12:00 p.m. as the Gothic Knights look to avenge their season-opening loss at the Pioneers back on March 11. Like today's game, the twin bill will only count toward the overall record, as New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play does not officially begin until April.