Newark, NJ – Rutgers-Newark took maximum advantage of three first-inning errors by Montclair State to post a 5-4 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
The Scarlet Raiders (14-9, NJAC 6-1) scored five runs on three hits, three errors and a pair of wild pitches in the first, then turned back several Red Hawk chances to escape with a crucial NJAC victory against the Red Hawks (11-9, NJAC 4-3).
Junior designated hitter Mike Ciaramello's (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield HS) two-run double into the rightfield corner made it 4-1 before he scored what proved to be the winning run on a pair of wild pitches with two out by Red Hawk starter
SEAN HILLE (Edison, NJ/St. Joseph's).
Ciaramello and junior first baseman Chris Ballester were the only Raiders with two hits as Hille and relievers Zach Brown (New Vernon, NJ/Morristown) and
DYLAN PAPA (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) limited Rutgers-Newark to just four singles and no runs after the first inning meltdown.
Montclair State piled up a dozen hits, but the Red Hawks stranded 11 base runners.
Junior catcher
KEVIN BOND (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove), who went three for five, singled home a run in the top of the first and added two doubles while senior second baseman
ANDREW HIMMELFARB (Upper Nyack, NY/Nyack) went three for four for MSU.
Three consecutive two-out singles by sophomore designated hitter
MATTHEW MORENO (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge), Himmelfarb and junior shortstop
MICKEY MCGRAW (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) pushed across three runs in the fourth for the Red Hawks. But Raider freshman leftfielder Jimmy Napolitano (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) made a diving stab of a line drive off the bat of senior centerfielder
MICHAEL BOGGI (Towaco, NJ/Montville) to robe MSU of two sure runs and end the rally.
Junior Connor Medler (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens) left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth to help run his record to 6-0 on the season. He scattered nine hits and struck out one while walking one before turning the ball over to junior Nick Evans (Montvale, NJ/Pascack Hills) to start the seventh. Evans gave up a double to Bond in the seventh and a single to Himmelfarb in the eighth before Rutgers-Newark went to sophomore closer Matt Larangera (Livingston, NN/Livingston) to get the final four outs.
Larangera picked up his fifth save of the season by getting a ground ball to shortstop to end the eighth before giving up only a two-out single in the ninth.
Rutgers-Newark visits Montclair State on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Yogi Berra Stadium to complete the home-and-home regular season series.
