Pomona, NJ: The Ramapo College baseball team split a NJAC doubleheader on the road today at Stockton University. The Ospreys took game one 3-2 while the Roadrunners battled back to win game two, 11-6. The Roadrunners even their record at 6-6 overall and 5-5 in the NJAC while the Ospreys now stand at 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the conference.
Game One
The Roadrunners would take a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning before the Ospreys came back with two runs for a 3-2 walk-off victory. In the fourth inning,
Justin Garthaffner laced a double to left-center field plating
Kyle Buser with the game's first run and a 1-0 lead. Stockton would tie the game 1-1 in the fifth when Luke Fabrizzi scored on Rico Viani's sac fly.
Ramapo went up 2-1 in the sixth as
Christian Alonso plated Buser with an RBI single. Stockton pushed two runs across in the bottom of the ninth added by two Roadrunner errors. Evan Geisler singled home Marco Meleo with an RBI single to left field to tie the game 2-2 before Fabrizzi was able to cross home plate on an infield error, 3-2.
Jeff Millet (1-2) took the loss on the mound for the Roadrunners in relief.
James Garthaffner started the game for Ramapo. In four innings of work he struck out four, walked five and scattered six hits while letting up one run.
Tim Caufield worked the next four innings, he struck out four, walked two and let up just one hit and no runs. Ramapo collected seven hits in the game and
Justin Grippo was the lone Roadrunner who posted two hits finishing 2-5.
Tyler Apt (1-0) earned the win for Stockton in relief. He worked the final inning of action with one strikeout. Phil DeMarco started the game for the Ospreys, he struck out five, walked four and surrendered six hits and two runs in six innings.
Game Two
The Roadrunners belted out 12 hits including six extra base hits as they scored 11 runs in the second game. Ramapo led 3-0 after two innings as Alonso,
Bryan Franko and Grippo all collected RBIs.
Stockton got on the board in the bottom half of the second. Frank Bellezza lifted a sac fly to left field which allowed Sam Nieves to score an unearned run. Ramapo added one run in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. Grippo laced a single through the left side of the infield which allowed Garrett Wiedemann to cross home plate.
It was the fifth inning when Stockton took a 6-4 lead. Fabrizzi drove home M. Meleo with a single before the bases were loaded for Mike Costanzo. He belted a grand slam, his second home run of the season, to put the Ospreys up on the scoreboard.
Ramapo came back with five runs in the seventh inning to take back the lead, 9-6. Baranok knocked home
Joe Wisniewski before Franko later scored the game-tying run on an infield error from the Ospreys.
Kellen Hardy ripped a double to right field with the bases loaded which cleared the bases and gave the Roadrunners a three-run lead. In the ninth Ramapo added two more runs to extend their lead 11-6. Buser laced a double down the left field line allowing Grippo to score before Buser later scored on a throwing error.
Dan Russo (1-1) earned the win on the mound for Ramapo. He worked two innings, struck out three, walked none and let up just one hit. Grippo led the team at the plate finishing 4-4 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBI. Baranok finished 2-5 with one RBI and one run scored while Hardy collected three RBI to lead the team.
The Roadrunners return to action on Thursday, April 22nd when they host New Jersey City University in NJAC action at 3:30pm.
