Game 1 - Box Score
Game 2 - Box Score
NEWARK, NJ – The Rowan University baseball team split a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark on Saturday. The Scarlet Raiders won the first game, 2-1 and the Profs took the second, 12-5. The games were played a Riverfront Stadium.
The Profs are 27-9-1 overall and 14-4 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 Raiders have a 21-15 record with an 11-7 NJAC mark. Rowan and Rutgers-Newark have clinched berths in the NJAC Championship Tournament. They will have to wait until after Monday’s games for the pairings.
In game one, right-hander Ryan Williams (sr. Kearny, NJ/Kearny) threw seven innings for the win (3-4). He allowed one unearned run on four hits. Williams struck out six batters. Righty Matt Larangera (so. Livingston, NJ/Livingston) was on the mound for the final inning to pick up his seventh save of the year. Right-hander Steven Melchiorre (so. Atco, NJ/Hammonton) took the loss (5-1). He surrendered two earned runs on eight hits in 7.1 innings.
Rutgers-Newark third baseman Tim Miller (jr. Mendham, NJ/Mendham) went three for four with one RBI, one run scored and two doubles. Shortstop Patrick Reitemeyer (sr. Kearny, NJ/St. Mary’s (Rutherford)) posted two hits (four at bats) and one run scored. Catcher Anthony Palladino (jr. Emerson, NJ/Emerson) drove in one run.
For Rowan, second baseman Brandon Winkler (jr. Glendora, NJ/Paul VI) tallied one hit (three at bats) and one run scored. First baseman Matt Hill (jr. Hamilton Square, NJ/Robbinsville) registered two hits in four trips to the plate. Third baseman Brad Woodend (sr. Medford, NJ/Shawnee) had one RBI. Shortstop Marc Magliaro (jr. Monroe Twp., NJ/Monroe Twp.) hit a double.
The Scarlet Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Miller led off with a double to right field. He moved to third on right fielder Michael Cassese’s (sr. Belleville, NJ/Belleville) single. Palladino followed with a sacrifice hit that allowed Miller to score.
Rutgers-Newark added one run in the fourth. Reitemeyer singled to left field and stole second. He advanced to third on a single by first baseman Chris Ballester (jr. Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.). Miller followed with a doubled to right field that knocked in Reitemeyer. Rowan scored its only run in the top of the fifth. Woodend walked with the bases loaded and Winkler came home.
In the nightcap, left-hander Mark Porter (sr. Cinnaminson, NJ/Lower Merion (PA)) earned the win (3-0). He went 5.1 innings, giving up five runs, three earned on five hits. Porter collected seven strikeouts. Righty Kyle Norman (sr. Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Twp.) threw the final 3.2 innings for his first save of the season. Right-hander Michael Schneider (so. Rutherford, NJ/Rutherford) was the losing pitcher (1-4). He allowed six runs, three earned on seven hits in three innings.
Magliaro was three for six with two RBIs and two runs scored. Center fielder Matt Citro (sr. Bloomsbury, NJ/Phillipsburg) totaled two hits (four at bats), three RBIs and two runs scored. Catcher C.J. Szymczak (so. Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade) produced two hits (four at bats), two RBIs and two runs scored.
Winkler added two hits (four at bats) and two runs scored. Left fielder Scott Weaver (sr. Ledgewood, NJ/Roxbury) and designated hitter Mark Benak (fr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) both compiled two hits (four at bats), one RBI and one run scored. Right fielder Kevin O’Brien (sr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.) and Woodend scored one run apiece.
For Rutgers-Newark, center fielder Michael DiCenso (sr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) was one for five with two runs scored. Reitemeyer and Cassese each chipped in with one hit (three at bats) and one run scored. Left fielder Mike Ciaramello (jr. Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) had one hit (four at bats) and one RBI. Ballester drove in one run, while second baseman Matt Connors (sr. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) scored once.
Rowan scored three runs in the top of the first. Szymczak singled in Magliaro. Citro added a two run single to left field. In the bottom half, DiCenso reached base with a single and later scored on a wild pitch. Ciaramello’s single brought Reitemeyer home to make the score, 3-2. The Scarlet Raiders tied the game (3-3) with one run in the second. Cassese singled and stole second. He went to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
Rowan pulled away with three runs in the third and one in the fourth for a 7-3 advantage. Citro knocked in Winkler in the third with a single to right field. Weaver followed with a RBI single and Citro scored on an error. In the fourth, Magliaro got on with a single and later crossed the plate on a single by Szymczak.
Rutgers-Newark cut the deficit to two (7-5) with two runs in the fifth. DiCenso reached base on an error and scored on a ground out by Ballester. The Profs tacked on four runs in the seventh and one in the ninth. O’Brien walked in the seventh. Hill got on base on a fielder’s choice and O’Brien came home. Magliaro ripped a two run single to right field and Benak scored on a wild pitch. In the ninth, Benak’s doubled to center field knocked in Weaver who was hit by a pitch.
