Box Score

ASHLAND, VA – The Rowan University baseball team opened the season with a 5-2 win over SUNY Cortland on Saturday. The game was played at Randolph-Macon College.

Left hander Ryan Kulik (sr. Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) pitched eight innings for the victory. Kulik only gave up two hits and he struck out 11. Kevin O’Hara (jr. Clayton, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) was on the mound for the final inning and earned the save.

Right fielder John McMullin (jr. Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) went two for three with a double, one RBI and a run scored. Rowan went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Second baseman Joe Franceschini (sr. Toms River, NJ/Toms River E.) scored the first run on an error when first baseman Rob Ritterson (sr. Sewell, NJ/George Washington (PA)) was caught in a run down. Ritterson later crossed home plate on a double by catcher Bobby Fox (sr. Ocean Twp., NJ/Ocean Twp.).

Cortland tied the score with two runs in the top of the second. In the preseason, the Red Dragons were ranked first in the country by d3baseball.com and they were second in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Division III Poll.

The Profs took the lead in the sixth inning when shortstop Roland Rodriguez (so. Miami, FL/Miami Killian) singled in designated hitter Paul Urbanovich (sr. Rutherford, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep). Rowan tacked on two more runs in the seventh. McMullin doubled in Ritterson who got on base with a single and stole second. Urbanovich had a RBI single that scored McMullin.

Rowan will play a doubleheader on Sunday against Randolph-Macon starting at 11 a.m.