WAYNE, N.J. — The New Jersey City University baseball team wrapped up its 2022 season with a doubleheader against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival William Paterson University today, Saturday, April 30. In game one, the squad defeated the Pioneers for the first time since 2015 by a final score of 10-8. Similar to game two, NJCU got on the board first in the high-scoring affair but it was not enough as WPU held on for the 15-10 win.

Game 1: NJCU 10, William Paterson, 8
The Gothic Knights (13-26, 4-14 NJAC) turned to veteran righthander Justin Wiltsey (Hamilton Township, N.J./Hamilton West) to make his seventh start of the season in the top half of the doubleheader and he got through 4.2 innings, throwing 91 pitches and allowing eight runs. However, the junior did not have to worry early, as his squad struck with its first opportunity at the plate. Leading off the game for the Gothic Knights was junior rightfielder Josh Hernandez (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista Community) and the Florida native got things going by extending his on-base streak to 17 games via base knock to rightfield. After a base-hit by senior centerfielder Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional), NJCU started playing small ball with a sac bunt by junior third baseman Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic) and aggressive base-running by Hernandez allowed the road team to take the 1-0 lead. The next batter, senior Mitchell Leslie (Gibbstown, N.J./Gloucester Tech) did his job by bringing in Voss on a ground ball to second. Reigniting the rally with two outs was freshman first baseman Matt Kaliske (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township) with single right back up the middle. On the next pitch, sophomore shortstop Justin Moreno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Trenton Catholic) advanced Kaliske to third base on a double down the line in right. Returning to the lineup this afternoon was sophomore second baseman Ali Pompey (Belle Meade, N.J./Trenton Catholic) and he extended the lead to 4-0 on a base-hit. 

William Paterson (26-13. 12-6 NJAC) got to Wiltsey early by bringing across three runs over the first two innings. The righthander settled down the Pioneer bats over the next two innings, not allowing a single run. After the Gothic Knights went scoreless for four innings, the squad came back to life in the fifth by tallying three more runs. Again, it was the top of the order for the Gothic Knights to get things going, but this time, Hernandez launched his fifth homerun of the year (second on the team) and his second this week (grand slam on April 26) to rightfield. After Voss drew a nine-pitch walk, Vizzoni collected his first hit of the day and advanced on the throw to move two runners into scoring position with no outs. Leslie pushed Voss across on a fielder's choice and Kaliske collected his second hit of the day with a missile through the left side, bringing in Vizzoni to give NJCU the 7-3 lead. But, WPU responded well and retook the lead, 8-7, in the bottom of the fifth.

Using the momentum from the previous inning, Pompey got the top of the sixth started with a double to the opposite-field. Getting his second start of the season, sophomore catcher Ricky Tuero (West New York, N.J./Memorial) put down a beautiful bunt to reach first base and advance Pompey all the way to third. Following the first stolen base of the season for Tuero, junior leftfielder David Duran (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) knocked in the game-tying run on a ground-out to short. A few batters later, Voss hit a moonshot to centerfield, ultimately bringing in the game-winning runner. Tuero, on a sac fly. Hernandez and Vizzoni capped off the inning with a double steal, allowing Hernandez to score to make it a 10-8 ballgame.

After the exit by Wiltsey in the bottom of the fifth, the Gothic Knight bullpen had its best outing of the season, not allowing a single run over the final 4.1 innings (one run charged to Wiltsy in the fifth). Getting the ball first freshman Frank Shipman (Edison, N.J./Edison) and the righthander allowed just two hits over 1.1 innings on the bump, striking out one en route to the first victory of his career. Hernandez did his thing by coming to the mound from rightfield and closed the final 3.0 innings, allowing just three hits and punching out two batter to secure his third-career save (all three coming over the last seven days) and nail down the 10-8 NJAC victory.

Game 2: William Paterson 15, NJCU 12
Similar to game one, this high-scoring affair began with the Gothic Knights getting on the board first. Again, Hernandez led off the game with a base-hit, extending his on-base streak to 18 games. Next, Voss collected a hit for himself and then the outfield duo converted on the double steal to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Vizzoni kept it simple, knocking in Hernandez on a groundout to short. A few hitters later, Kaliske gave the squad a 2-0 lead on a screamer through the left side. William Paterson scored three runs over the next 2.1 innings against senior righthander Ronnie Wallraff (Hillside, N.J./Hillside), making it a one-run game heading into fourth.

NJCU retook the lead in the following inning, 5-3, following four base-hits. First, Moreno got himself into scoring position by blasting a double and then junior leftfielder Jon Taylor (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) collected his first RBI of the day on a single. Collecting his first extra base-hit of the season, Tuero brought in two more runs to give Jersey City the lead.

However, William Paterson dropped six more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-5 lead. The squad did not let up in the season finale and looked to be knock the Pioneers down a peg or two in the NJAC rankings. NJCU scored five runs over the next three innings to tie the game up at 10-10 following the top of the seventh, The fifth-inning run was brought in after Vizzoni hit a double to the gap in left and Leslie then brought him in with a base knock of his own. Then, in the top of the sixth, Hernandez and Voss began the inning with base-hits, setting up Vizzoni for another RBI on a fielder's choice, to cut the lead to three. The three-run deficit was made up in the next inning, as Taylor knocked in Kaliske and Pompey with a double to rightfield. To tie the game, Hernandez continued his scorching day by hitting a laser up the middle to tye it at 10-10. 

The William Paterson offense was too much, however, as the home team scored four more over the final two innings to take the game, 15-12, and lock in the #3 seed in the NJAC Tournament. Before the game came to a close, freshman John Abrahamsen (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) came into the game to pitch hit and got hit by a pitch. Voss followed with his team-leading 14th double of the season and Vizzoni drove in both on his third base-hit of the afternoon.