Box Score


Patchogue, NY … The College of New Jersey baseball team overcame an early four-run deficit, but fell 10-9 in extra innings to St. Joseph's College of Long Island on Tuesday.
 
The Lions (15-12) were able to take a two-run lead in the top of the 12^th inning, but the Golden Eagles (15-12) battled back and received a clutch, two-out, two-run single from Brian Hannigan in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
 
Senior Mike Galeotafiore (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) had a tremendous game on offense for TCNJ. He finished 4-for-6 with three doubles, two runs scored, and two runs batted in. Sophomore Paul Searles (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) also excelled for the Lions, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs, and a pair of sacrifice bunts. Senior Ed Zakrzewski (Three Bridges, NJ/Hunterdon Central) also had two hits on the day.
 
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead, scoring a pair of runs in the first, two in the second, and another in the third. The Lions got on the board in the second when Galeotafiore doubled and Searles stroked a two-out double to left-center field.
 
A four-run sixth inning evened the score at 5-5. Galeotafiore cut the deficit to 5-3 when he ripped a bases-loaded double to drive in two runs. Searles then produced his third RBI of the game the hard way. He was hit by a pitch with the bases soaked to make it a 5-4. Sophomore Rob Vafiadou (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) followed with an RBI-groundout as the Lions clawed their way back into the game.
 
TCNJ continued to produce on offense in the seventh. Junior Scott Kelly (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-North) reach first on an infield single and stole second base. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Jacob Dewitt (Florence, NJ/Florence) and scored when senior Jimmy Ruzich (Verona, NJ/Montclair Kimberly Academy) doubled to center field. It was his team-leading 11^th double of the season. Junior Michael Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) later lifted a sacrifice fly to score Ruzich and the Lions held a 7-5 lead. (Ruzich also made several stellar defensive plays at first base throughout the game that kept the Golden Eagles from generating more offense.)
 
St. Joseph's was able to tie the game up with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Neither team scored in the eighth and ninth, sending the contest into extra innings.
 
Senior Dominic Capuano (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) pitched the first six innings for TCNJ. After surrendering runs the first three innings, he threw blanks for the three straight innings which allowed the offense to heat up. He allowed five runs on four hits and struck out four. Sophomore Brian O'Connel (N. Massepequa, NY/Plainedge) tossed one and two-thirds innings in relief before freshman Benito Gonzalez (Perth Amboy, NJ/Princeton) came in to throw three and one-third scoreless innings.
 
In the 12^th, Galeotafiore swatted his third double of the game to right-center as freshman Dominic Forcella (Parlin, NJ/St. Joseph's) came into pinch-run. Senior Ed Zakrzewski (Three Bridges, NJ/Hunterdon Central) bunted for a base hit and Forcella came around to score on a throwing error by the third baseman. After Vafiadou singled, sophomore Joe Dispoto (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) gave TCNJ a two-run lead with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Golden Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the 12^th. After a base-on-balls forced in a run, senior Mike Ham (Sparta, NJ/Pope John Paul XXIII) was able to get a pair of infield outs. But Hannigan singled to left-center to drive in the winning runs, dealing the Lions a tough loss on the road.
 
The three doubles by Galeotafiore give him 51 for his career. That ties him for second all-time in program history with Blake Bullis '07. The all-time doubles leader is Gerard Haran '07, who finished with 58 doubles in his career.
 
TCNJ returns to George Ackerman Park on Thursday, April 12 when they take on Rutgers University-Camden at 3:30 p.m. in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.