Box Score

Wayne, NJ…The College of New Jersey baseball team opened the 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Thursday with a narrow 7-6 win on the road over William Paterson University. TCNJ, which is ranked No. 13 in the newest ABCA poll, and is the league’s two-time defending champions, is now 11-4 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC, while WPU drops to 8-5-1 overall and 0-1 in the NJAC.

WPU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Lions clawed their way back to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the eighth inning. TCNJ tacked on two runs in the top of the ninth and held a 7-5 lead heading into the Pioneers’ last at-bats and managed to escape with a narrow 7-6 win.

In the eighth inning, senior Jeff Botti (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) had an RBI single to score senior catcher Gerard Haran (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) and give the 5-5 tie. In the top of the ninth inning, it was Haran who came through with a two RBI single to left field that put the Lions ahead for good. For the game, Haran was 4-5 with two runs scored, three RBI’s and added a double. Junior short stop short stop Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) was 2-5 for the day with a run scored and a double to help the Lions’ cause.

WPU’s bats managed to collect 12 hits off TCNJ’s pitchers as both senior Wayne Poppe (Sloatsburg, NY/Suffern) and freshman Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, NJ/Northern Highlands) each had three hits. Guadango managed to collect a double to right field with one out in the bottom of the ninth and was driven in by senior Ted King (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) on a sacrifice fly to pull the Pioneers with in one run before Will Courter grounded out to the Lions’ pitcher, senior Dave Waseleski (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) to end the game and a rally.

Waseleski picked up the win in relief of junior Mike Oliver (Crosswicks, NJ/Hamilton West). Oliver went 4.1 innings with two earned runs off eight hits and six strikeouts, while Waseleski came in and was victorious in 4.2 innings with one earned run off three hits with two strikeouts to now stand at 2-0 on the year.

WPU’s senior Christian Miranda (Bogota, NJ/Bergen Catholic) took the loss and is now 1-1 after two innings of relief work with three earned runs off three hits.

On Saturday, the Lions will host No. 7 ranked Kean University in a NJAC doubleheader starting at Noon. in George Ackerman Park.