Mahwah, NJ: The #3 seed Ramapo College baseball team scored early and used a late comeback to earn the win in the NJAC Baseball Tournament first round game over #4 seed Rutgers-Camden University.
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The Roadrunners (25-13) move to game six of the tournament as they will take on #5 seed Rowan University (25-11) on Friday, May 3rd at Rutgers-Camden Athletic Complex at 7:00 PM. The Scarlet Raptors (26-14) move to game five and will go up against #6 seed TCNJ also on Friday at 3:30 PM.
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Ramapo scored two runs in the first inning when Jack Tallenet came home on a bases loaded passed ball before
Matt Lalomia drove in
Zack Bailey with a sac fly, 2-0. In the second inning,
Jesse Swartout launched his third home run of the season to center field to push the score, 3-0. In the third,
Zach Novakowski plated Lalomia with an RBI single to right field for the team's fourth run of the game. In the sixth, Rutgers-Camden would tie the game, 4-4. Billy Richards got the Scarlet Raptors on the board with a two-RBI double before Evan Carbone plated Richards with a single. Steven Shaffer then singled home Carbone with an unearned run to tie up the score.
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The Roadrunners came back in the seventh inning with three runs.
John Higgins plated Tallent with a hard hit ball to left-center field and
Dominick Ciani advanced to third. The relay throw in from the outfield sailed over third base allowing Ciani to score for the 6-4 lead. Novakowski then laced a single to right field which allowed Higgins to come around and score, extending the lead, 7-4. In the eighth, Rutgers-Camden would load the bases before Ryan Nutley was hit by a pitch to force home Carbone and Diego Salazar lifted a sac fly to left field to plate Shaffer to come within one, 6-7. With two runners on and two out Ramapo got out of the jam by inducing a line out to right field for the final out of the eighth.
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In the bottom of the eighth, Ramapo looked to score an insurance run when Swartout worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sac bunt from
Tyler Guadagno. The Scarlet Raptors would hold the Roadrunner lead to just one by getting out of the jam with-back to-back flyouts.
Gerard Chiricolo, who entered the game in the top of the eighth inning on the mound for Ramapo, made short work of the Scarlet Raptors in the ninth. He induced a line out and back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and preserve the 7-6 victory.
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James Pazdera started on the mound for the Roadrunners as he struck out seven, walked two and surrendered five hits and four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings of work.
Billy Scanlon earned the win in relief for his first win of the season. He worked 1.1 innings with three strikeouts, one walk while he let up just two hits and no runs scored. Chiricolo earned his first save of the season as he did not give up a hit in the final two complete innings while he struck out three and walked two. At the plate; Ciani, Higgins and Novakowski each collected two hits each and Novakowski drove in two RBI.Â
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