Box Score
Mahwah, NJ--- The Lions of the eighth ranked Lions of The College of New Jersey tallied a 10-6 road win over Ramapo College on Friday. TCNJ improves to 21-3 overall and 8-1 in the NJAC, while Ramapo drops to 12-14 overall and 1-7 in the league.
TCNJ's junior short stop Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) collected a pair of doubles and drove in three runs to help spark the Lions' offense. He went 3-5 at the plate with a pair of runs scored as TCNJ combined for 15 hits on the day.
TCNJ had five players who had multiple hit performances as senior outfielder Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson), junior Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester), senior catcher Rich Gawlak (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro-South), and sophomore Ryan Anzelone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) all had two or more hits. Anzelone was 3-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Gawlak added a triple for the Lions.
TCNJ got on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning with two runs on four hits. Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball, before Anzelone stepped to the plate and drove a RBI single to left field to score Esperon. Anzelone scored on a RBI single from Tussey going up 2-0 on Ramapo after one and a half innings.
The Lions would take a four run lead in the top of the 3rd with runs from Gawlak, who tripled to lead off and came home on a balk, and Anzelone, who got on base with single and scored on Mebs's single to left field.
Senior center fielder Nick Sbarra (Washington Twp., NJ) put the Roadrunners on the board in the bottom half of the inning when he walked with one out, advanced to second on a passed ball, touched third on a sac fly to right field, and crossed the plate on a second passed ball.
TCNJ didn't hold out for long taking an 8-1 lead with one run in the 4th and three more in the top of the 5th. Toth scored on a passed ball in the 4th and Matt Barrett (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley), Tussey, and Mebs each touched home in the 5th inning to spread their lead on Ramapo.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, John Callandrello (Montville, NJ) came home on an error after singling with one out to reach first base, before Jairo Jimenez (Bronx, NY) drove a single to center field to score Pete Sita (Bayonne, NJ) closing in on the Lions, 8-3.
A two run 7th inning for the Lions seemed to have put the game out of reach for Ramapo with the Roadrunners only tacking on one more run in each of the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. Mebs drew a walk to lead off the 7th before Tussey laid down a bunt to put Mebs on second. Toth stepped to the plate and ripped a double scoring Mebs, before scoring on a wild pitch with two outs, to go up, 10-3.
Sbarra, Sita, and Ryan Paxton (Long Valley, NJ) all scored in the final three innings but sophomore reliever Greg Spatz (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Township) held the Roadrunners in two innings pitched to wrap up the day, 10-6 over Ramapo. Spatz let up one hit and two runs, one earned, in his outing.
TCNJ's senior Nick Amabile (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) pitched seven innings letting up five hits and four runs, three earned. He walked four while striking out eight batters. He earns the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. Paul Ciccazzo (Staten Island, NY) gets the loss for Ramapo pitching 2.2 innings with seven hits and two walks. He struck out two in the loss falling to 1-2 on the year.
Toth went 3-5 with two runs and three RBI while Mebs hit 2-4 with two runs scored and one driven in. Anzelone scored two runs and drove in one hitting 3-4 in the team's 21st win of the year. Ramapo was held to only six hits in the game. Callandrello went 1-5 and Jimenez, 1-4. Callandrello scored one and Sita touched the plate twice.
TCNJ hosts the Red Hawks of Montclair State University on Saturday in a NJAC doubleheader starting at Noon at TCNJ's George Ackerman Park. TCNJ will honor former baseball coach Rick Dell in between the two games on Saturday. Should the weather not permit action to take place on Saturday, the ceremony will take place on Saturday at the brunch for Rick Dell in TCNJ's 1855 Room from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
