Union, N.J. (4/11/15) – Junior Matt Meleo tied a Kean single-game mark with a 6-for-6 start to the day as the Kean University baseball team swept Rutgers-Newark 11-7 and 7-3 at Jim Hynes Stadium on Saturday.
The games, originally scheduled to take place at Riverfront Stadium in Newark, were moved close to game time due to poor field conditions. Newark (9-18, 0-10 NJAC) batted as the home team in both contests.
Meleo was a homerun shy of the cycle as he recorded four singles, a double and a triple in the opener, tying a mark held by two other former Cougars in the Kean record books. With today's wins, Kean improves to 24-6 and 8-2 in the NJAC.
Game One
Kean got on the board in their first at-bat in the top of the first and held the lead wire-to-wire. Junior Sal Taormina provided the hot shot in the first, a two RBI double. The Scarlet Raiders got one back in the second, scoring on a passed ball, but that would be as close as they would get as the Cougars struck for four more in the top of the third. Junior Ryan Kelley got things going with a two RBI double for himself and he eventually scored on a throwing error. Freshman Matt Krupa made the score 6-1 with an RBI single down the line.
The offense would trade runs along the way as a run was scored in every frame except the seventh and eighth.
In all Kean pounded out 17 hits, six of course coming from Meleo who also added four runs scored. Kelley finished with three RBI while Chris Amato and Taormina both picked up two RBI with two hits.
Southpaw Emilio Calderon (4-1) tossed eight innings, scattering six hits and three earned runs. He struck out six and walked four.
For the Scarlet Raiders, Danny Iannaccone had two RBI in the loss.
Game Two
The Cougars registered eight extra base hits on their way to the sweep of Rutgers-Newark by the final of 7-3 in the nightcap.
Kean put up most of their runs, five, in the first frame to jump out to an early cushion. Meleo worked a walk to start the game and from there the extra base hits just kept on coming as Michael Kendall (RBI double), Kelley (RBI triple), Taormina (RBI double) and Anthony Fischetti (RBI triple) gave Kean a 4-0 lead. Senior Tom McGuckin made it 5-0 with an RBI fielder's choice later in the inning.
Rutgers-Newark closed within 5-3 in the third as Cameron Dias found open space in center for a two RBI single while Chas Bohannon chopped a single through the left side for the third run of the inning.
An RBI single from Taormina in the seventh and a RBI double from McGuckin in the eighth added insurance in the win.
Southpaw Richie Ferguson earned the win in relief. Ferguson (4-0) tossed six and a third innings of shutout ball with seven strikeouts and just four hits. He walked no one.
Kelley and Taormina each finished with three hits as Kelley and Fischetti each recorded two triples in the nightcap.
Kean enjoys a nice break and will return to NJAC action on Thursday when they travel to Ramapo College at 3:30 p.m.