Game 1 Box score

Game 2 Box score

Ewing, NJ... The College of New Jersey baseball team swept a doubleheader from Montclair State taking the first game 16-10 and winning the nightcap 4-3.

The Lions (20-17, 11-7) needed to win both games and have Rutgers University-Newark to lose two in order host the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs. TCNJ took care of what they could control, but the Scarlet Raiders squeaked out an 8-7 win over Richard Stockton College after the Ospreys had won the opening game 9-5.

The Lions will travel to take on Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday, May 4 in the opening round of the post-season tournament.

Game 1

Senior Greg Spatz (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Township) led TCNJ to a 16-10 win providing the Lions with a one-game edge in the conference standings over Montclair State midway through the day.

The Lions rung the bell for seven runs in the second inning. Jason Zegarski (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) stroked a two-run single, Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union) belted an RBI double to right-center, and Mike Galeotafiore (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) struck for a run-scoring single to center to give Spatz a six-run cushion.

The offense kept the pressure on scoring a run in the third, two in the fourth, and a run in the fifth.

After a shaky first inning, Spatz locked in to win his fifth game of the year. He went six innings, scattered six hits, and struck out two.

Zegarski finished with three hits and three runs batted in while Esperon and freshman Mike Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) had two hits for TCNJ. Ed Zakrzewski (Three Bridges, NJ/Hunterdon Central) had a productive day at the plate going 1-for-2 with five RBIs.

John Chesterman (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) and Matt Moreno (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) each had two hits for the Red Hawks. Moreno knocked in three runs.

Game 2

A pair of freshmen led the way for TCNJ in the second game. Bobby Graber (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo) had an excellent day on the mound Murphy punched out three hits, including a pair of clutch singles that drove in runs.

The Lions got on the board in the fourth inning on an RBI single off the bat of Murphy. Ruzich started the inning with a base hit and advanced to third on a single by Ryan Anzelone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon).

The Red Hawks (19-16, 9-9 NJAC) responded with a pair of runs in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead. John Chesterman (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) singled through the middle to score Matt Moreno (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) and Jay Bionde (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock) followed with a base hit to right-center that scored Andrew Himmelfarb (Nyack, NY/Nyack).

Galeotafiore put TCNJ back on top in the sixth with a run-scoring single to left. Esperon reached first on a base hit, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored with some aggressive baserunning to knot the game at 2-2.

Graber worked out of trouble in the seventh after Moreno and Himmelfarb singled to start the inning. Following a sacrifice bunt, the lanky right-hander got a called third strike for the second out. Leadoff hitter Jay Bionde then laced a ball into the left-center field gap, but Esperon made a spectacular diving catch to save two runs.

The Red Hawks tied the game up in the eighth. After two quick outs, Bond notched his third hit of game. Mike Boggie (Towaco, NJ/Montville) then hit a gapper to left-center scoring Bond all the way from first.

On the afternoon, Graber gave up just two runs on eight hits while striking out four in seven inning of work. He left with a 3-2 lead, but did not factor into the decision.

Senior A.J. Adamczyk (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) earned his first win of the season and junior Joe Marchitelli (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) pitched a perfect ninth to notch his second save of the year.