Game # 1 Box Score
Game # 2 Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – Down to its last strike and trailing by one, No. 7 The College of New Jersey (25-6, 11-4 NJAC) was able to score two runs during the ninth inning of the doubleheader night cap, securing a twin bill sweep with a 6-4 victory at William Paterson (21-13, 9-6 NJAC) April 19. The Lions won the opener at Pioneer Baseball Field, 14-4.
Trailing by a single score with base runners at first and second and two outs, Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, N.J./Gloucester) had a 0-2 count at the plate when Pioneer reliever Steve Schlitzer (West New York, N.J./Memorial) threw what appeared to be strike three. The home plate umpire did not see it that way, and two pitches later, Tussey laced a single up the middle to tie the score at 4-4. Jeff Toth (Parlin, N.J./Sayreville) later hit a two-run double to center field, giving TCNJ the 6-4 lead.
William Paterson put its first two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth after Vin Ganz (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) singled and Dan Limone (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) walked. Ganz was lifted for pinch runner Derek Koppinger (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional), but TCNJ reliever Eric Gertie (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) entered the game and promptly picked Koppinger off second, giving WP one out with a runner on first. Andrue Laguerre's (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) fielder's choice resulted in an out at second, and Mike Guadango's (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) bouncer to shortstop ended the Pioneers' comeback hopes.
The Pioneers crossed the plate three times during the bottom of the first inning of Game Two, a rally started by a Limone lead-off walk and Laguerre single. After Limone stole third and Laguerre moved up to second after a ground out, senior Anthony Perrone (Midland Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) hit a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Limone for a 1-0 edge. Three consecutive singles by Vince Joyce (Franklin, N.J./Wallkill Valley), John Elia (Emerson, N.J./Pascack Valley) and James Gregory (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) pushed two more runners across, giving WP the early 3-0 advantage.
With runners on second and third with zero outs in the top of the fourth, Vince Mazzaccaro (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) grounded into the unusual 5-3-5 double play, but Tussey was able to score from third to cut the lead to 3-1. William Paterson had a chance to extend the lead in the fifth when Perrone attempted to score from third after a groundout to the pitcher was thrown to first, but the home plate umpire ruled that both Perrone missed the plate on his slide and Lion catcher Bill Kropp (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) missed the tag, but Kropp was able to touch-out Perrone after WP's third baseman attempted to go back and safely step on home.
A Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) double and Tussey RBI-single helped pull the Lions within a run at 3-2 in the sixth, and Kropp blasted his first home run of the year, a solo shot over the left-field fence during the seventh inning, to deadlock the score at 3-3.
William Paterson manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, as Limone roped a single to right-center to lead off, was sacrificed to second by Laguerre, and Guadango hit a hard shot up the middle, making it a 4-3 game.
Tussey was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, while Toth was 2-for-5 with a two-run double to lead TCNJ. Laguerre, Joyce and Gregory each had two hits for William Paterson.
Senior Bob Buskett (Trenton, N.J./Notre Dame) took the win (5-1), allowing 10 hits and four earned runs in 8.0 innings. Gertie picked up his sixth save of the year with 1.0 inning of scoreless relief. Sophomore Scott Zirul (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) started for the Pioneers and gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) in 6.1 innings, while Schlitzer took the hard-luck loss (3-3) in 2.2 innings of relief.
During the opener, the Lions pushed four runs across during their first at-bat and never looked back, taking advantage of three first-inning hits and two Pioneer errors. Kropp's sacrifice fly nudged TCNJ ahead 5-0 in the third, and the Lions broke the game wide open with five scores in the fourth, as Matt Barrett's (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley) two-run single helped make it a 10-0 game.
TCNJ extended its lead to 12-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth before the Pioneers were able to break through and post two scores during the home-half of the inning after Perrone knocked in Ganz and Scott Fischer (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Pascack Hills) with a base hit up the middle. WP plated two more runners after a throwing error in the sixth, and TCNJ finished the first game's scoring with a Kropp RBI-triple and a Tyler Hall (Stockton, N.J./Immaculata) run-scoring single.
Tussey was 3-for-6 and scored two runs, Mazzaccaro was 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI, and Kropp was 2-for-4 with four RBI, a triple and two runs.
Junior Will Courter (Roseland, N.J./West Essex) was 2-for-3 at the plate to pace the Pioneers. Laguerre added a 2-for-4 effort with a double.
Senior Mike Oliver (Crosswicks, N.J./Hamilton West) improved to 5-0 with 8.0 innings of seven-hit ball, allowing four runs (three earned) with seven strikeouts and six walks. Freshman Chris Mongelli (Riverdale, N.J./Pompton Lakes) fell to 2-3 after allowing 10 runs (five earned) over 3.1 innings.
Prior to the doubleheader, William Paterson honored former head coach Jeff Albies, who retired last summer after winning 862 games during his 33 seasons, including 11 NJAC titles, seven regional crowns and the 1992 and 1996 NCAA Division III national championships.
