Box Score

CAMDEN (April 10, 2008) – Nationally-ranked The College of New Jersey scored four runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to stun the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team, 5-2, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game Thursday afternoon at Campbell's Field.

TCNJ, ranked seventh nationally in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Division III Top 25 poll and fourth in the d3baseball.com poll, improves to 20-3 overall and 7-1 in the NJAC. The Lions have won 12 of their last 13 games.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 7-17 overall and 1-7 in the conference with its fourth straight loss.

For 8-2/3 innings, it appeared the Raptors would not only snap that losing streak, but shock one of the nation's top programs in the process. Rutgers-Camden received no-hit pitching from freshman Dan Fimiani (Pittsgrove, NJ/Schalick) for 6-1/3 innings before senior right fielder Matt Barrett (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) lined a RBI single to left field for the Lions' first hit and run. Fimiani left the game with a 2-1 lead and the Raptors protected the edge until the last moment.

With one out in the top of the ninth, freshman pinch-hitter Matt Giermanski (Oradell, NJ/River Dell Regional) drew a walk and freshman Elliot Stein (Middletown, DE/Middletown) went in as a pinch-runner. After a strikeout sent the Lions down to their last out, senior center fielder Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) hit a slow roller to the left of the mound. Raptor senior shortstop Shawn Park (West Berlin, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) raced in for a do-or-die play, but his off-balance throw was bounced in the dirt as Mebs beat out an infield hit. Junior second baseman Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester) dropped a two-run single into right-center field and advanced to second as the Raptors' relay to the plate sailed high for an error in an unsuccessful attempt to nail the go-ahead run. Junior shortstop Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) followed with a triple to right-center, then scored on an infield error.

Prior to Mebs' infield hit in the ninth inning, Fimiani (6-1/3 innings, one hit, one earned run, five walks, four hit batters and one strikeout) and three relievers shut down the Lions on just one hit. The Scarlet Raptors scored single runs in the fourth and fifth and nearly made that margin stand up.

In the fourth, Park drew a one-out walk, advanced on a ground out and scored on a two-out single to center by sophomore third baseman Kyle Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran). One inning later, junior second baseman Dean Straga (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on an error.

TCNJ's first run came in the seventh when sophomore left fielder Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) was hit by a pitch, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on the Lions' first hit, Barrett's single.

TCNJ's second pitcher of the game, senior Brad Kittle (Millville, NJ/Millville) picked up the victory when the Lions rallied in the ninth. Kittle (1-0) worked three innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out three. Junior Eric Gertie (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) collected his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning. He allowed one hit and survived an infield error to end the game on a fly out with the potential tying run at the plate.

Sophomore Michael Kondrath (Medford Lakes, NJ/Holy Cross) took the loss to drop to 0-1.

Rutgers-Camden sophomore catcher Greg Hunt (Marlton, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) was the lone batter in the game to collect multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

Both teams return to conference action Friday with 3:30 p.m. road games. TCNJ faces Ramapo College, while Rutgers-Camden battles Richard Stockton College.