Box Score

Ewing, NJ…Ranked No. 13 in the latest ABCA Division III poll, The College of New Jersey’s baseball team tallied an 8-2 win over No. 19 ranked Johns Hopkins University on Monday afternoon in George Ackerman Park. With the win, TCNJ is now 12-6 overall, while the Blue Jays drop to 14-4.

TCNJ had a 1-0 lead after the first inning of play when the Lions senior catcher Gerard Haran (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) had an RBI sacrifice fly to drive in senior Jeff Botti (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) who had reached on a single to right field.

JHU held TCNJ in check through four innings to a 1-0 lead, before the Lions scored five runs off three hits while making the most of an untimely error by the Blue Jays’ second baseman, senior Ian Christie (Endicott, NY/Union Endicott) in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Botti added his first homerun of the season on a two RBI blast to right field in the eighth inning to give the Lions an 8-0 lead. JHU would not go away as they broke up the Lions’ shutout bid in the ninth inning, pushing two runs across the plate on two hits.

Botti finished the game with a 3-4 effort with three runs scored and two RBI’s, while being the only Lion batter to have more than one hit in the game. Seniors Blake Bullis (Delran, NJ/Delran), Andrew Cosgrove (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunterdon), PJ Anzelone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township), and junior Bill Kropp (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) all drove in a single run for the Lions in the match-up.

JHU’s bats were held to five hits, while junior Jonas Fester (Dallas, TX/Syosett) added a double and senior Brett Izzo (Northport, NY/Northport) also doubled, but failed to drive in any runs in their at bats.

TCNJ’s junior pitcher Bob Buskett (Trenton, NJ/Notre Dame) picked up his second win of the year (2-0) after seven scoreless innings of work with three hits and three strikeouts. He now has a 7.11 ERA on the year in 19 IP with 9 strikeouts after his tremendous effort on Monday. He got strong relief support from senior Dave Waseleski (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) as he struck out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth inning and got the other to ground out to end the inning. Waseleski now has a 1.08 ERA on the year in seven outings with nine strikeouts. Senior Bill Opel (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) closed the action for the Lions with two earned runs off two hits with a walk and two hit batters.

JHU’s junior pitcher Joe Zaccaria (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) took his first loss of the year and is now 3-1 after five innings of work with three earned runs of eight hits and fanned four Lions in his appearance. Junior reliever Brian Duddie (San Diego, CA/Mt. Carmel) fanned three Lions in 1.2 innings of work for the Blue Jays.