Mahwah, NJ: The #3 seeded Roadrunners of Ramapo College faced off with the #6 seeded Lions of the College of New Jersey in the quarter-final best-out-of-three NJAC Tournament matchup today in Mahwah. The Lions would take game one, 12-7 before the Roadrunners took game two, 15-8, forcing a deciding game tomorrow.
Game 1: The Roadrunners got on the board in the bottom of the 1
st inning when
Justin Grippo drew a walk to lead off and later came home on a sac fly from
Kellen Hardy. The Lions answered back in the top of the 2
ndwith two outs on the board. Jack Haynes singled down the left field line to bring home Aydon Chavis and Avery Epstein to go up, 2-1.
Garett Wiedemann led off the bottom of the inning with a bomb over the left field fence to tie the game at two a piece, and
Justin Grippo would cross home plate when
Brian Baranok drove a double to left center putting Ramapo up, 3-2. Baranok would score as Hardy drove him in ending the inning with a 4-2 advantage. The top of the 3
rd would go to the Lions as they scored five runs off five hits to go ahead 7-4. TCNJ would stay on top and add five more runs in the 7
th and 9
th inning to take the game, 12-7.
Haynes hit 2-5 and drove in four runs while Chavis went 3-5 with four runs scored and three RBI. Tim Schumacher gets the win pitching four innings and striking out three. He let up one hit and walked seven.
Matt Stewart took the loss for Ramapo. He struck out one and walked two in five innings of work.
Baranok hit 2-5 with one run scored and two RBI while Hardy hit 2-3 with two RBI. Wiedemann collected two hits on five at bats with one run and two RBI.
Game 2: The Roadrunners would scatter 14 hits and 15 runs across the nine innings of play as they took game two, 15-8. Ramapo quickly got on the board in the 1
st inning when Grippo doubled to lead off and later came home with an RBI from
Kyle Buser. Baranok would score later in the inning with a sac fly from
Justin Garthaffner. TCNJ closed the gap in the 2
nd with a run from Chris Reeder before Buser and Hardy scored in the 3
rd to go ahead 4-1. In the bottom of the inning, the Lions tacked on five runs to jump ahead, 6-4.
The Roadrunners took control in the 5
th inning as Hardy led off with a double and came home on a double from
Matt Carovillano. Carovillano was brought home by Wiedemann, and Grippo ripped a single to center field to bring in Wiedemann and Donaghue to go ahead, 9-6. Ramapo never looked back adding an additional six runs in the 6
th, 7
th and 9
th to take the game, 15-8 over TCNJ.
Jeff Millet gets the win pitching 5.2 innings. He struck out six and walked three letting up four hits and two runs. Grippo went 3-6 with two runs scored and three RBI while Carovillano hit 3-5 with two runs and four RBI. Hardy scored four and hit 2-3 in the win.
Joseph Felipe took the loss in 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked five letting up eight hits and nine runs. Avery Epstein hit 3-4 with one run and one RBI. Joey Cruciata went 2-4 with four RBI.
The two teams return to action tomorrow in an elimination game. First pitch at noon at Jeff Maund Field on the Ramapo College campus.