KEENE STATE SWEEPS NO. 8 RANKED TCNJ TO SPOIL LIONS' PERFECT SEASON
Chandler, AZ – Ranked 30th in the Division III pre-season poll, the Keene State College Owls posted a pair of wins over No. 8 ranked The College of New Jersey. Keene State took the first game 8-7 and then needed extra innings to collect the sweep as they posted a 12-11 win in 11 innings. TCNJ drops to 8-2, while the Owls improve to 2-0 in their first day of the season. The two wins by Keene State snaps the Lions' eight-game win streak as well as the team's 19-game regular-season that had dated back to April 14, 2007.
Game 1 box score
Keene State 8-7 TCNJ
TCNJ jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Owls got a three run homerun from senior Greg Ford (Nashua, NH) to put them up 3-2. Keene continued t tack on runs with a pair in the bottom of the fifth and single runs in the bottom of the seventh and the eighth.
TCNJ would not go away and added three runs in the top of the seventh on a three RBI shot by senior catcher Rich Gawlak (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) to pull TCNJ with in one run. Keene increased the lead to two runs in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double down the left field line by senior Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, NH) to score Jesse Cahill who reached on an error at first base.
In the top of the eighth inning the Lions added a pair of runs as Gawlak came up big once again to drive in two more runs with a single to right field but stranded two runners before they could overtake Keene. Gawlak finished with five RBI's, but it was not enough for the Lions.
Keene would break the 7-7 tie as they knocked in a run on an RBI sacrifice fly by Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, CT) to drive in James Chevalier (Amherst, NH) who reached with a single to left center.
TCNJ's junior pitcher Dan Ramos-Dominko (Hampton, NJ//North Hunterdon) worked seven innings and gave up six earned runs off eight hits with six strikeouts. Freshman reliever Joe Marchitelli (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) took the loss in relief to fall to 0-1, after allowing one earned run off one hit with a walk.
Keene State's Chevalier, the team's second baseman would come in the game in relief to collect the win as he worked 1.2 innings with a pair of runs off two hits with Keene State's starting right fielder, Ford collecting the first of his two saves on the day after an inning of relief with a strikeout.
Game 2 Box Score
Keene State 12-11 TCNJ (11 innings)
In the night cap, there were a combined 23 runs scored off 35 hits. TCNJ's early 6-1 lead went by the way as the Owls capitalized on a huge sixth inning after tacking on eight runs. Down 11-6, TCNJ fought back to tie the score after adding two runs in the bottom of the seventh and three runs in the eighth.
In the Lions' seventh inning, senior outfielder Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) drove in a run with a single to left field before junior second baseman Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester) drove in sophomore Ryan Anzelone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township), who had reached on a double to left center.
Junior third baseman Vince Mazzaccaro (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) started the inning in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homerun to left center field. Gawlak was hit by a pitch to reach before Anzelone came to the plate to tie the score with his first career homerun.
TCNJ and Keene State would play 11 innings before the Owls triumphed as Chevalier would triple to right center to drive in Perkins who reached on a one out single to center field.
TCNJ was unable to tie the action and dropped the game as darkness was falling on the complex.
For the Lions, Tussey and Mazzaccaro each drove in three runs. Mazzaccaro was 4-4 with three RBI's, while Anzelone drove in a pair for the Lions. In the top of the fifth inning with bases loaded, junior short stop Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) came up with a triple play as he managed to collect a putout on a line out to short, tagged the runner out at second and threw the ball to first to end the innings.
TCNJ's junior pitcher Eric Gertie (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) took the loss in relief after allowing one earned run off four hits with three strikeouts in three innings of work. TCNJ used five pitchers in the game as senior Mike Oliver (Crosswicks, NJ/Hamilton West) made the start and gave up no earned runs off seven hits with seven strikeouts as the starter through five innings of work. Junior Pat Johnson (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) worked 2.1 strong innings of relief with five strikeouts and a pair of earned runs off six hits.
TCNJ returns to action on Sunday facing UMass-Boston in the final contest of their training trip at 10:30 a.m. (PST).
