Center Valley, PA: The Ramapo College baseball team defeated Marymount University (VA) in an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament this afternoon, 14-9. The Roadrunners (30-13) advance in the tournament while the Saints end the season with a 27-19 overall record.
After holding the Saints scoreless in the top of the first the Roadrunners plated five runs to take an early lead.
Julian Caruso and
Braden Schappert each singled to start the Ramapo rally before
Zach Novakowski was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. With one out,
Julian Schultz singled to right-center field to plate Caruso and Schappert, 2-0.
Jack Tallent plated the team's third run with an RBI groundout as Novakowski crossed home plate, 3-0.
Dan Maglio ripped a double to left-center field to plate two more RBI and extend the score, 5-0. In the second inning Novakowski came home as the Saints turned a double play before he drove in his own RBI in the third inning to plate Caruso, 7-0. Marymount got on the board with one run in the fourth with an RBI single from Seth Sadler before Schultz got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. He belted his first home run this season, a solo shot to right field to extend the lead, 8-1. Knapp later scored in the fourth on a Saints error, 9-1. Marymount added three runs in the fifth before Ramapo got two back in the bottom of the inning for an 11-4 lead.
Nick Pellegrino drove in Novakowski with an RBI single before Tallent lifted a sac fly to center field to score Pellegrino. In the sixth, Novakowski belted his team leading 9th home run of the season, a solo shot over the right-center fence to extend the lead, 13-4. Evan Schick drove in two RBI in the eighth inning while Anthony Farmakides singled home Schick to shrink the lead, 13-7. Pellegrino drove in Schappert with an RBI single to push the score 14-7 in the bottom of the eighth. The Saints didn't go away quietly in the ninth as they added two runs to their score before Ramapo reliever
Greg Guzman got the final out via a strikeout.
The Roadrunners posted their 12th thirty-win season in program history and first since 2018.
James Kahn (4-4 overall) earned the win on the mound for the Roadrunners as he struck out three, walked nine and let up seven hits and four runs over seven innings of work. Schappert, Novakowski and Pellegrino each collected three hits while Novakowski was a double away from hitting for the cycle.
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