Mahwah, NJ: The Ramapo College baseball team defeated the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University 14-8 today in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match up at Jeff Maund Field. The Roadrunners improve to 18-14 overall, 7-8 in the conference, while the Gothic Knights fall to 13-22 overall, 2-14 in the conference.
The Roadrunners took an early lead in the first inning when sophomore
Dan Moreno (Cranford, NJ) singled to left field plating senior
Mark Ruggiero (Fairfield, NJ), 1-0.
The Gothic Knights fought back in the third inning plating four runs, three on a homerun by junior Ken Witte (Wantage, NJ) to take a 4-1 lead. Jorge Gutierrez (Sewaren, NJ) and Brian Bustillo (Jersey City, NJ), who walked and doubled respectively to get on base, came home on the three-run bomb over the left center field wall.
NJCU's lead was short lived when the Roadrunners got six runs back in the bottom of the third with seven consecutive hits to go up 7-4.
Rob Dimperio (Jackson, NJ),
Michael McGuckin (Bayonne, NJ),
Nicholas DiGirolamo (Dumont, NJ),
Joey Cacchiola (Union, NJ),
Mark Ruggiero (Fairfield, NJ), and Moreno each plated a run in the bottom half of the inning.
The Roadrunners plated an additional run in the fifth off a RBI double from
Michael Hansford (Hillsborough, NJ) which drove in Moreno. Moreno singled to the shortstop to lead off the inning. The Gothic Knights got one back in the sixth with a run from Jordan Tetrick (Delray Beach, FL), a solo homerun to right center, but the Roadrunners added to their lead plating three runs in the bottom of the seventh to go up 11-5. The Gothic Knights continued to fight back in the eighth plating three runs from Rob Gonzalez (Brick, NJ) and Gutierrez who came home on another NJCU homerun, this time from Witte, closing the gap, 11-8. In the bottom of the inning the Roadrunners plated three runs to take a 14-8 advantage which stood to the final out.
Moreno was 4-4, with three runs scored and four RBIs and senior Cacchiola was 3-5 with three runs scored. Junior
Tim Hannes (Allendale, NJ) took the win improving to 3-4, striking out four and walking two.
The Roadrunners return to action when they travel to NJAC rival Rutgers-Newark tomorrow at 3:30 PM.