PURCHASE N.Y. — The New Jersey City University baseball team's bats exploded once again, today, Saturday, March 19, and the team moved to .500 on the season for the first time after defeating the Manhattanville College Valiants 13-4. This was the fourth time in the last five games that the Jersey City sluggers scored 10 or more runs, including dropping 20 runs yesterday. Continuing the strong to his NJCU career, freshman Matt Kaliske (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township) finished the day with three hits and two RBI. Following his three-hit performance yesterday, senior Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) captured went 4-for-4 today, adding four RBI and scoring four runs.

NJCU (5-5) bats have been consistent with attacking the opposing pitchers early, scoring in the first inning in seven of their first nine games and this did not change in the high-scoring affair by the Gothic Knight offense. Starting the attack for the squad was Voss, who blasted a home run over the fence and giving Jersey City the 1-0 lead before sophomore right-hander Ali Pompey (Belle Meade, N.J./Trenton Catholic) started his afternoon. This homer was the second for Voss in the past three days, giving him 10 career bombs, which leads the current NJCU roster. 

The Valiant (5-3) offense responded right away, scoring three runs in the first two innings to take an early 3-1 lead against Jersey City. After the rally by Mville, the young Gothic Knight pitcher settled in, not allowing a single run in his final three innings on the bump. Pompey finished his afternoon completing 5.0 innings, allowing four runs while striking out three Valiants batters.

With the sophomore dealing on the mound, the NJCU offense went back to work in the third inning, exploding for four runs. The offensive eruption was started with the bottom of the order, after freshman shortstop Justin Moreno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Trenton Catholic) started the four consecutive hit-streak. Getting in on the hit parade was leadoff batter junior Josh Hernandez (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista Community), followed by Voss knocking in Moreno with a beam through the right-side and junior Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) capping it off with a double to right-center to bring home Hernandez and Voss. The Green and Gold set up the hottest hitter in New Jersey, arguably the entire country, Kaliske, with Vizzoni in scoring position and the freshman wasted no time, capturing his second hit of the day with a rocket through the left side to bring home Vizzoni and push the lead 5-3. 

After a quiet two innings for both teams, the Gothic Knights woke back up in the fifth, getting across two more runs. Following a Voss walk and senior catcher Mitchell Leslie (Gibbstown, N.J./Gloucester Tech) reaching on an error, the table was set for Kaliske and the first baseman continued his historic freshman campaign by knocking in Voss with another bullet to left. A single by junior outfielder Bryan Fernandez (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) loaded the bases up for his classmate Jon Taylor (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow), and the second baseman did his job by knocking in Fernandez via a fielders choice to give Jersey City the 7-3 lead. 

Pompey was spotless in the fifth, but after some trouble to start the sixth, head coach Jerry Smith looked to junior right-hander Ronnie Wallraff (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) in a two-on, nobody out jam. Wallraff was able to get the first two Manhattanville outs of the inning, but coach Smith turned another right-hander after Wallraff surrendered a run, this time freshman Riley Morrow (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township), to hold the game. Coming in with confidence, Morrow got the final out by getting a swing and miss, holding the game to 7-4.

Needing more insurance runs, Leslie started the top of the seventh inning off by lining a ball to the opposite field. Taking advantage of the Valiant miscues, the squad scratched one run in after Taylor reached on an error. Morrow came back out for the bottom half of the seventh and picked up right where he left off. The freshman retired the first two hitters and after a base hit by the Valiants, Morrow settled down for final out, giving the momentum right back to the blazing bats of Jersey City.

Similar to the third inning, Moreno started off the top of the eighth with a walk and Hernandez again followed up with a base hit, giving Voss the opportunity to put the game out of reach. The center fielder secured his third extra base-hit of the sunny afternoon, blasting a ball to right-center to bring in Moreno and Hernandez. The Gothic Knights pushed two more runs across in the inning by scoring on an error and Kaliske grounding into a double-play. 

This was all the support the freshman needed, as Morrow completed the final two innings spotless, striking out three-batters and giving the New Jersey City University baseball team the 12-4 nonconference victory.

Highlights:
- Kaliske moves his average to.531 which leads NJCU, the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and is 15th in all of Division III at the moment (minimum 25 at-bats). 
- Voss now leads NJCU in RBI (16) and runs scored (18). He moves his average to .411.
- Vizzoni and Hernandez finished with two hits each
- Pompey captured the first win of his career.

Up Next:
The Green and Gold will finish their three games in a three-day stretch tomorrow, Sunday, March 20, as they travel to take on Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MACC) foe Alvernia University. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Angelica Park in Reading, Pa.