Mahwah, NJ: The Ramapo College baseball team opened up the NJAC season with a double header sweep over rival Montclair State University, 6-2 and 5-4. The Roadrunners move to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the NJAC while the Red Hawks stand at 8-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
In game one, it was MSU who got on the board first with one run in the third inning. Joe Norton lifted a sac fly to center field allowing Sam Angelo to score for a 1-0 lead. The Red Hawk added one more run in the fifth when Angelo was able to come home on a pass ball for a 2-0 lead.
The Roadrunners got back in the game in the bottom of the fifth when two runs came home on a sac fly and an error.
Sean Donaghue and
Matt Meola were able to cross home plate to tie the game up, 2-2.
Bryan Franko put Ramapo up 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh when he drove a 0-2 pitch over the left field wall for his second home run of the season, a three-run home run as pinch runners
TJ Roman and
Matt Lalomia also touched home plate.
Ramapo added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth Bryan Baranok drew a two-out walk and later scored on a wild pitch, 6-2. In the ninth,
Sean Kelemen earned his first save of the season holding the Red Hawk offense. Following a leadoff walk by MSU, Kelemen induced a 4-6-3 double play before inducing a fly out to left field to end the game.
Matt Ivanicki earned the win on the mound for Ramapo in relief. He struck out two, walked none and let up one hit in two innings of work.
Matt Stewart started the game for the Roadrunners on the mound working the first five innings. He struck out five, walked one and scattered three hits. Kelemen let up just one hit in the final two innings of work to earn his first save of the season.
Ramapo collected four hits in game one as Franko led the way at the plate with three RBI.
In game two, each team scored one run in the first inning before MSU tacked on three runs in the second for a 4-1 lead. The Roadrunners would chip away as they scored one run in each of the third, fourth, fifth and eighth innings.
In the bottom of the first,
Matt Carovillano ripped a single through the right side of the infield allowing
Garett Wiedemann to score for the 1-1 tie. Down 4-1 in the fourth, Ramapo's
Kellen Hardy laced a solo home run over the left field wall to cut the to 4-2. In the fourth inning, Grippo plated
Harold Calero with an RBI groundout to come within one, 4-3. The Roadrunners were able to tie the game in the fifth inning when Wiedemann scored on a balk call, 4-4. He led off the inning with a hard-hit single.
In the bottom of the eighth, Grippo led off with a perfectly placed bunt single before advancing to second by a throwing error. He moved to third on a fly out to right field before scoring on a pass ball for a 5-4 lead.
Ramapo reliever
Jeff Millet held the Red Hawks in check in the final 2.2 innings earning the win on the mound. He struck out four, walked two and surrendered just two hits.
Andrew Case started the game for Ramapo, he struck out two, walked one and let up five hits and four runs in four innings of work.
Dan Russo worked the middle 2.1 innings surrendering three hits and no runs.
Hardy, Carovillano and
Joe Wisniewski each collected two hits for the Roadrunners in game two.
The Roadrunners return to action on Thursday, April 8th when they travel to William Paterson University for a NJAC game at 3:30pm.
