GLASSBORO, NJ -
Jason Morgan went 5-for-5 and recorded his 200th career hit to lead #13 Rowan to a 16-4 win over Ramapo in the opening round of the NJAC Championship. The tournament now moves to Montclair State for the weekend, with the second-seeded Profs (30-8) taking on third-seeded TCNJ on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a winners bracket game.
UPDATED CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Zach Coluccio (7-0) settled down after a rocky first inning to allow only four hits and two runs the rest of the way, finishing with seven strikeouts in 8.0 innings.
Steven Maiers got the final three outs in the ninth for the Profs.
It was the first perfect day at the plate of Morgan's career while he scored three runs and drove in three, including a solo home run. He now has 202 career hits and becomes the 12th player in Prof history, and the third member of the current team, to reach the milestone.
Tyler Cannon went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI while
Brayden Davis and
Joey Bogart scored three runs each.
Ramapo (27-13) jumped on Coluccio in the first inning, getting four consecutive hits and scoring two runs. The Roadrunners' lead was short-lived as Rowan countered with five runs in the bottom of the second, on sacrifice flies from
Karson Harcourt and
Eric Sabato, who returned to the lineup after missing 28 games. Cannon also hit a two-run triple and eventually scored on a wild pitch to take a 5-2 lead.
Morgan's homer in the third pushed Rowan's lead to 6-2, but Ramapo added a pair of runs in the fourth, to close within 6-4.
The Profs scored in each of the next three innings, as Morgan got his 200th hit, a single in the sixth to score
Phil Sedalis. Three runs crossed the plate in the seventh, as Rowan took advantage of four walks/hit by pitch as well as an RBI single from Bogart, a sacrifice bunt by Harcourt and a sacrifice fly from
Phil Sedalis.
Rowan put the game out of reach with a six-run eighth inning. Cannon had an RBI single,
Marco Mannino drew an RBI walk, Morgan hit an RBI single and
Mason Dorsey connected on a two-run double.
