NEWARK, NJ – The Rowan University baseball team won both of its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games against Rutgers-Newark, 11-2 and 10-1 on Saturday.
The Profs improve to 16-5 overall and 4-1 in the NJAC. The Scarlet Raiders have a 6-11 record and 0-5 conference mark.
In game one, right-hander
Danny Serreino (sr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) broke the school record for the most strikeouts in a single contest with 16. He surpassed the previous mark of 15 that was set on three separate occasions (1977, 2008 and 2018). Serreino (1-2) pitched 8.1 innings and only allowed three hits and two runs. Right-hander
Andrew Cartier (sr. Estell Manor, NJ/Buena Reg.) faced the final two batters of the game and fanned one.
Left fielder
Michael Manganella (so. West Milford, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) led the Profs with four hits, three runs batted in (RBI), one run and a double. Designated hitter
Mitch Walker (jr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.) produced three hits, three runs and two RBIs. Second baseman
Alex Kokos (jr. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) and catcher
Steven Hewa (sr. Galloway, NJ/Absegami) each contributed two hits, a double and one RBI and scored once.
For Rutgers-Newark, second baseman Luke Magliaro (sr. Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) and third baseman Kevin Tamsula (jr. Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) recorded one hit apiece. Tamsula scored one run. Catcher Chris Suleski (so. Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) hit a home run and chipped in two RBIs. Righty Luis Rojas (sr. Union, NJ/Union Catholic) suffered the loss, throwing 4.1 innings, giving up eight hits and five runs and striking out four.
Rowan took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when right fielder
Dan Shane (sr. Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Walker came home. The Profs fell behind in the bottom half, when Suleski nailed a two-run homer to left center to go ahead, 2-1.
The deficit was erased in the third frame when the Brown and Gold tacked on three runs for a 4-2 advantage. Walker drove in two runs with a base hit, followed by a RBI single to right field from Manganella. Rowan scored another run in the fourth to extend its lead to 5-2.
The Profs put game one out of reach after they added six runs in the ninth. Manganella knocked in one run with a double while Hewa, Shane and Kokos all had RBI singles. Shortstop
Dillon Mendel (sr. Sparta, NJ/Sparta) plated two runs with a single to right field.
Right-hander
Andrew DiPiazza (sr. Bayville, NJ/Central Reg.) earned the win (4-0) in the second contest. He tossed seven innings and struck out 10 batters while allowing five hits. Righty
Dan Corvo (so. River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) pitched the final two innings and struck out two.
Woods, Mendel, Walker and Manganella all totaled three hits. Woods registered four RBIs and two home runs. Mendel and Walker each added a homer and two runs. Designated hitter
Anthony Harrold (sr. Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) tallied two hits, including a home run and two RBIs.
Right-hander Anthony Rosoline (sr. Prospect Park, NJ/Paramus Catholic) took the loss for the Scarlet Raiders (2-2), throwing 6.2 frames.
The Brown and Gold trailed, 1-0 in the third inning when right fielder Anthony Ricardo (so. Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) scored on a Profs' throwing error. Rowan reclaimed the lead, 2-1 in the seventh when Woods and Mendel blasted back-to-back home runs.
The bats came alive in the eighth as the Profs scored eight runs to pull away, 10-1. Hewa drove in two runs with a single to center field. Woods plated three after he smashed his second homer. The final two scores were brought in on solo home runs by Harrold and Walker.
Rowan is back in action against New Jersey City University on Sunday, April 7, with first pitch at 1 p.m.
