Box Score
CAMDEN, NJ – The Rowan University baseball team defeated Rutgers-Camden, 6-3 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Friday afternoon. The game was played at Campbell’s Field.
The Profs are 26-8-1 overall and 13-3 in the conference. Rowan is ranked second in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings and 20th in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Scarlet Raptors have an 11-21 record with a 1-13 NJAC mark.
Left-hander Michael Cox (sr. Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill W.) pitched five scoreless innings for the win (2-0). He only allowed five hits. Righty Ryan Peterson (jr. Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) threw the final 1.2 innings to pick up his fourth save of the season. Right-hander Andrew Hoffman (jr. Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill W.) took the loss (1-3). He gave up six earned runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Rowan left fielder Scott Weaver (sr. Ledgewood, NJ/Roxbury) went one for three with two RBIs and one run scored. Right fielder Kevin O’Brien (sr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.) and catcher Nick Turano (jr. Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) both had two hits (five at bats) and one run scored. Third baseman Brad Woodend (sr. Medford, NJ/Shawnee) tallied one hit (five at bats), one RBI and one run scored. First baseman Matt Hill (jr. Hamilton Square, NJ/Robbinsville) added one hit (three at bats), one RBI, one run scored and a double. Second baseman Brandon Winkler (jr. Glendora, NJ/Paul VI) scored once.
For Rutgers-Camden, first baseman C.J. Mooney (jr. Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) was three for four with one RBI and one run scored. Shortstop Joe Merlino (jr. Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) contributed with one RBI and one run scored. Third baseman John Santilli (jr. Folsom, NJ/St. Joseph (Hammonton)) posted one hit (two at bats) and one run scored. Catcher Dan Snyder (fr. Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) registered one hit (one at bat) and one RBI.
Rowan went ahead, 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Weaver walked with the bases loaded and Woodend came home. In the third, Hill ripped a double down the left field line and Weaver crossed the plate. Rowan added two runs in the fifth for a 4-0 advantage. Turano and O’Brien had back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Weaver had an infield single that knocked in Turano and O’Brien scored on a wild pitch.
The Scarlet Raptors cut the deficit to three (4-1) with one run in the seventh. Merlino reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, plating Santilli. The Profs got two runs in the top of the eighth. Hill was hit by pitch and moved to second on a walk by Winkler. The runners moved to second and third on an error. After shortstop Marc Magliaro (jr. Monroe Twp., NJ/Monroe Twp.) was intentionally walked to load the bases, Hill scored on a wild pitch. Winkler came home on a ground out by Woodened.
Rutgers-Camden recorded one run in the bottom half. Mooney singled to left field. Later, Snyder drove him in with a single. In the ninth, Merlino reached base on an error. He advanced to second on a single by center fielder Albert Rivera (so. Matawan, NJ/Matawan) and went to third on a ground out. With one out, Mooney hit a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Merlino.
Rowan travels to Rutgers-Newark for a NJAC doubleheader on Saturday, April 30 at noon.
