Mahwah, NJ: The Ramapo College baseball team opened the 2008 NJAC season today with a double header match-up against the Pioneers of William Paterson University at Jeff Maund Field in Mahwah. The Roadrunners fought back from a 9-2 deficit in game one to come with one run, 8-9 in the eighth, but Pioneer pitcher, Steve Vandevrede (Lincoln Park, NJ) recorded a one-two-three ninth inning, helping to lead William Paterson to a 10-8 victory.  In game two, Ramapo jumped ahead, 8-3 after five innings but a fifth and sixth inning offensive spark for the Pioneers spoiled the Ramapo lead.  The Pioneers walked away with a double-header sweep with a game two, 13-8 win in eight innings.  the game was called due to darkness.

Ramapo falls to 10-8 overall and 0-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference while the Pioneers improve to 12-6 overall, 3-0 in the conference.

The Pioneers scattered ten runs across three innings ripping ten hits in their 11th win of the season. The scoring started in the top of the second inning when the Pioneers' Anthony Perrone (Midland Park, NJ) walked to lead off, advanced to third on a single by Vince Joyce (Frankin Lakes, NJ), and crossed home plate on a RBI single from Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, NJ). With two outs, Dan Limone (Teaneck, NJ) drove a single to the short stop, bringing home Joyce, and Will Courter (Roseland, NJ) followed with an infield single of his own, crossing Laguerre, for a 3-0 lead. Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, NJ) ripped a two run single to centerfield before the Roadrunners closed out the inning with a groundball to second base from Perrone, the lead off batter.

Ramapo closed the gap in the third inning, 2-5, off three hits from Ryan Paxton (Long Valley, NJ), Jairo Jimenez (Bronx, NY), and Aaron Drury (Canton, MI). Drury's single brought home Joey Cacchiola (Union, NJ) and Jimenez. Cacchiola reached on a fielder's choice to get on base.

Another big inning for the Pioneers came in the top of the fifth with four runs scoring on four hits. Courter walked to lead off and later scored on a Perrone double while Joyce singled to left field driving in Perrone and Guadango. Laguerre hit a sac fly to left field scoring Joyce for a 9-2 Pioneer lead after 4 ½ innings.

Ramapo's bats came alive in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jimenez doubled to lead off and junior Gino Gallagher (Cedar Grove, NJ) followed with a hard hit triple scoring Jimenez. Drury reached on an error, Gallagher scored on the play, and Skyler Conte (Kinnelon, NJ) stepped to the plate to pinch hit with no outs. Conte drew a walk and was replaced on base by pinch runner John McGuckin (Bayonne, NJ). Both Drury and McGuckin advanced on a passed ball before a groundball to the pitcher put one out on the board for Ramapo. Senior centerfielder Nick Sbarra (Washington Twp., NJ) stepped to the plate driving in two runs with a double to center field. After Sbarra stole third base, an infield error put Paxton on first base and Sbarra on the scoreboard to come within two, 7-9.

In the eighth inning, Mark Ruggiero (Fairfield, NJ) hit a RBI single scoring Gallagher who drew a walk with a runner on first, to come within one, but a one-two-three bottom of the ninth for Ramapo kept the Pioneers on top 10-8. William Paterson's Perrone tacked on the final run on a passed ball after reaching on an error to start off the ninth.

Joyce led the Pioneers hitting 2-5 with two runs and two RBI while Laguerre went 2-4 with one run and two runs batted in. Perrone ripped one hit on four at bats, crossing the plate three times while driving in one.

Scott Zirul (Cedar Grove, NJ) earns the win for the Pioneers improving to 4-0 while Jack McDonough (Cranford, NJ) gets the loss, striking out five and walking three. McDonough let up nine runs on eight hits in four innings of work. McDonough falls to 3-1. Zirul let up ten hits and seven runs, five earned, in 6 1/3 innings. Zirul struck out four while walking five.

In game two, the Pioneers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning before the Roadrunners posted six in the bottom of the second to grab a four run edge.  Mike Manges (Glen Rock, NJ) and Drury hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning before a fielder's choice put one out on the board.  Ruggiero hit a RBI single to right scoring Drury and Paxton hit a sac fly to centerfield to tie the game, 2-2.  Sbarra drove in Ruggiero and Jimenez stepped to the plate driving a hard hit ball for a three-run double to go up, 6-2 on the Pioneers.

After the Roadrunners tacked on a run in each of the third and fourth innings, the Pioneers woke up their bats taking the lead in the fifth.  On five hits and two Ramapo errors, Dan Limone (Teaneck, NJ), Perrone, John Elia (Emerson, NJ), and Joyce each crossed the plate to come within one. 

What turned out to be the game winning run came in the sixth inning after Perrone hit a double with one out bringing in Courter and Guadango who singled and walked respectively to get on base.  Joyce laid down a sac bunt scoring Perrone for a 10-8 lead after six. 

The Pioneers added three more in the eighth to Ramapo's one in the bottom of the inning taking the game, 13-8.

Courter and Guadango hit 2-4 with three runs each.  Elia went 2-4 and Perrone hit 2-5 with three runs and two RBI.

Paul Ciccazzo (Staten Island, NY) gets the loss for Ramapo falling to 1-1 on the year while Chris Mongelli (Riverdale, NJ) pitched six innings, striking out two and walking two to improve to 2-1.

Jimenez hit 3-5 with three RBI for Ramapo while Cacchiola went 2-4 with two runs scored. 

Ramapo faces off with NJAC rival Richard Stockton tomorrow at 1:00 PM.