Box Score
Newark, NJ…Kean University posted a 12-8 win over The College of New Jersey in the 2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament on the third day of the tournament at Eagles and Bears Riverfront Stadium. Top seeded Kean, the 2007 NCAA Division III National Champions, collected the win to advance in the winner's bracket and to improve to 38-9 and is now 3-0 in the tournament. TCNJ, which earned the third seed in the regional, dropped to 30-11 on the year and is now 2-1 in the tournament. With Saturday night's win, the Cougars have now won 11 straight games.
Kean scored a run in the top of the first inning, only to have the Lions tie the action in their half of the inning. Kean jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the top of the third before the Lions would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth as sophomore left fielder Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) connected on his third home run of the year to left center.
Kean's sophomore Chris Carrano (Lincoln Park, NJ) drove in a run in the top of the fifth as the Cougars regained the lead as Kevin O'Neill (Union, NJ) led off with a single top start the Cougars' inning. A series of TCNJ errors helped Kean build a 7-4 lead.
TCNJ's senior pitcher Bob Buskett (Trenton, NJ/Notre Dame) got the start for the Lions and worked 5.2 innings, throwing 101 pitches. He allowed nine hits with eight earned runs, while striking out three and walking three others. He drops to 5-4 this year, while adding to some impressive numbers of his TCNJ career. As a Lion, Buskett has now started 30 games, which ranks seventh all-time at TCNJ, while having also amassed 132 strikeouts which stands 11th best in school history, while his 207.2 innings is ninth best at TCNJ. He has produced a 20-6 record on the mound at TCNJ.
Senior reliever Brad Kittle (Millville, NJ/Millville) came in the game in the middle of the sixth inning and worked 3.2 innings with five strikeouts off two hits, while yielding a pair of unearned runs. Kittle moved into the seventh spot on TCNJ's career appearance list after making his 51th career appearance, while ranking 11th on the career strikeouts at TCNJ.
TCNJ committed a season-high seven errors in the contest, but managed to out hit the Cougars, 12-11. TCNJ stranded 10 men on base in the contest as well.
Kean's sophomore Joe Bartlinski (South Amboy, NJ/South Amboy) collected the win after six innings of work with seven earned runs off 10 hits, while striking out two and walking five Lions off 125 pitches to improve to 8-2.
Junior Drew Campbell (Hillsborough, NJ) entered the game to face the Lions in their half of the seventh inning as Kean held an 11-7 lead. Campbell worked three innings and earned his fourth save after striking out one with one hit.
In the ninth inning with no outs, sophomore DH Nick Tutrone (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) came to the plate only to ground into a double-play but helped the Lions put a run on the scoreboard, down 12-8. Senior Matt Barrett (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) grounded out to the third baseman to end the game and send the Lions to the loser's bracket.
The Lions will now face Rowan University on Sunday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m., while Kean will take Sunday's 11:00 a.m. game winner also on Sunday in a 3:00 p.m. contest.
Carrano was 4-4 for the Cougars with four RBIs and four runs scored to lead Kean, while Esperon was 3-4 for the Lions with a run scored and an RBI after adding a double and a homerun.
