WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson (12-8, 0-2 NJAC) saw its baseball doubleheader split with No. 7 Rowan (15-4, 2-0 NJAC) slip away in the ninth inning of game two, falling 14-10 after a 16-0 first-game loss during both teams' New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener April 2 at Jeff Albies Field.
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A double, three singles and a pair of walks allowed the Profs to score three times during their first at-bat.
- Rowan made it a 7-0 game during the top of the second inning thanks to two hit by pitches, a double and a three-run homer.
- Back-to-back doubles plated one Prof run in the third, and three base hits resulted in another run tallied in the fourth.
- Rowan crossed the plate seven times during the top half of the seventh off six hits and an error, making it a 16-0 margin.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Senior catcher Steve Yelin, senior third baseman Colin Lombardo and senior designated hitter Dylan Habeeb accounted for WP's three hits.
- Junior Ian Metzger suffered the loss (5-2), allowing eight runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out three during 2.2 innings as the starter.
- Junior Dan Castaneda went 3.2 innings and surrendered six hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk, posting two strikeouts. Freshman Nick Durso was charged with four runs, four hits and a base on balls over 0.2 inning, while classmate Pat Pantoliano tossed the final 2.0 hitless innings and struck out two batters while walking one.
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers took the lead with a three-run third inning. After singles by Lombardo and Yelin and a walk from Habeeb loaded the bases, senior right fielder Vinnie Martin flared a pitch into shallow center field, falling between three fielders for a bases-clearing double.
- WP added two more during the home half of the fourth. Lombardo singled through the right side, graduate student Carson Weis walked and Yelin was hit by a pitch, loading the bags for senior left fielder Dan Carter. He delivered a run with a base hit through the right side, and Habeeb's fly ball to right field plated another, making it a 5-0 score.
- Sophomore second baseman Jake Lutz homered to left center, pushing the advantage to 6-0 after five frames.
- Rowan got four of those runs back with five singles, two sacrifice flies and a walk during the top of the sixth inning.
- Martin started a sixth-inning rally with a two-out single to left field and Lutz added a base hit off the third baseman's glove. Senior center fielder Justin Grippo launched a ball to the fence in right-center field for a two-run triple, and after senior shortstop Chris Liriano drew a nine-pitch walk, Lombardo dropped a base hit into right-center field for a 9-4 lead.
- A Yelin infield single, Carter base hit to left center and Habeeb double off the fence down the left-field line tacked on one Pioneer seventh-inning run.
- Four walks resulted in a run scored by Rowan during the top of the eighth, and freshman Neel Telidevara entered with zero outs and the bases loaded. He induced a ground ball that Lombardo snagged, tagging the runner headed to third and throwing across to first for a double play to get two outs as the runner scored from third. Six pitches later, a called strike three ended the half inning with the score 10-6.
- Three walks, two on full counts, loaded the bases for the Profs to start the top of the ninth inning. A fielder's choice scored one run, but a fly ball during the next at-bat made it two outs and a 10-7 score with runners on the corners. The Pioneers thought they had ended the game on an 0-2 pitch, but instead the call was ball one, and on the very next pitch Rowan hit an RBI-single to left. That opened up the gates for the Profs, who went on to score six more runs and take a 14-10 lead.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Martin was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Lombardo finished 4-for-6 while contributing an RBI and two runs scored.
- Weis went 3-for-5 with a double and run scored, while Habeeb and Grippo each drove in two runs.
- Senior Riley Weis carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, finishing with a line of four runs, four hits and three walks allowed, striking out four during 5.1 innings.
- Senior Matt Lawler scattered one hit and two walks over his 1.2 innings. Junior Darmany Rivas was charged with two runs and four walks.
- Telidevara had a strikeout and walk during his 1.0 inning of action. Carter allowed seven runs (five earned), three hits and four walks over 0.2 inning, and senior Jordan Manne surrendered one unearned run on a walk and strikeout while recording the final out.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson plays a single game at The College of New Jersey Thursday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m.
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