Camden, NJ: The #3 Ramapo College baseball team won their third straight game and advanced in the winners bracket of the NJAC Tournament with a 7-5 win over #5 Rowan University. The Roadrunners improve to 26-14 overall while the Profs drop to 25-12.
The Roadrunners advance to take on #6 TCNJ tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm at Rutgers-Camden Park. Rowan will now face Kean University for the second time this week in an elimination game at noon.
With one out in the top of the first
Dominick Ciani singled, moved to second on a fielder's choice and scored on a single from
John Higgins, 1-0. In the third inning,
Zack Bailey drove in Ciani with an RBI single to center field for a 2-0 score. In the bottom of the third Rowan pushed their first run across when Anthony Schooley scored on an RBI groundout. Bailey then recorded his second RBI of the game in the fifth when
Jack Tallent walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and came home on Bailey's hard hit single, 3-1.
Zach Novakowski extended the Ramapo lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning with a solo home run, his second of the season. Rowan added two runs in the bottom of the sixth while Ramapo got out of a jam to hold a one run lead, 4-3. Higgins gave Ramapo an insurance run in the top of the seventh as he laced a double down the right field line to plated Ciani for a 5-3 lead. In the eighth inning,
Christian Alonso drove in
Robert Klawans with an RBI single while Tallent drove in
Jesse Swartout with a big RBI double to left center field to extend the lead, 7-3.
Jack Martin (6-2) spun a two-hitter on the mound for the Roadrunners in seven innings of work, he struck out three, walked two and let up three runs (one earned).
Gerard Chiricolo worked 1.2 innings with one strikeout, one walk while surrendering three hits. With two outs in the ninth Rowan pushed across two runs before Ramapo relief pitcher
Billy Scanlon induced a groundout with the bases loaded to end the inning with the 7-5 win. Scanlon earned his first save of the season.
At the plate, Higgins and Bailey led the way with two RBI each while Higgins finished 3-5 and Bailey 2-4. Ciani also finished 3-5 with three runs scored while Tallent finished 2-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
