Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


Mahwah, NJ … The College of New Jersey battled its way to a 6-5, 11-inning victory to earn a split in their New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader at Ramapo College on Saturday.
 
The victory enabled the Lions (21-14, 9-5) to keep pace with the Roadrunners (26-8, 9-5) as the two teams are tied for the third place in the NJAC standings headed into the final week of play. The top six teams qualify for the conference playoffs.
 
Several clutch performances propelled TCNJ to its 21^st win of the season. Senior Mike Galeotafiore (Brick, NJ/Christian Brother Academy) roped a two-out single in the 11^th inning to drive in the winning run. Classmate Mike Ham (Sparta, NJ/Pope John Paul XXIII) put forth a gutty effort in pitching the final two and two-thirds innings to earn the victory. Ham had a hand in all three NJAC victories this week, registering two saves and a win.
 
Freshman Mike Murray (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) also came up big in the second game with two hits and three runs batted in.
 
Game 1:  Ramapo 8   TCNJ 2
 
TCNJ was locked into a tight ballgame with the score tied 1-1 through six innings. They took a 2-1 lead in seventh, but the Roadrunners erupted for six runs in the bottom of the frame. That proved to be the difference as the Lions modest three-game win streak came to a close with an 8-2 loss.
 
Ramapo senior Travis Zilg went all nine innings for his fourth win of the season. He needed just 108 pitches to go the distance, scattering four hits and getting 14 ground ball outs.
 
After playing near-perfect baseball on the defensive side in Friday's 3-1 win over New Jersey City University, the Lions slipped up the opening game of the doubleheader. They made three errors in the field, which resulted in four unearned runs. TCNJ also walked six batters and hit two more, giving the Roadrunners 11 additional baserunners in the game.
 
The Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Galeotafiore singled to drive in classmate Jimmy Ruzich (Verona, NJ/Montclair Kimberley Academy). The base knock extended Galeotafiore's hitting streak to 15 games.
 
The Roadrunners tied it up in the bottom of the first and the next five innings were scoreless. In the seventh, junior Nick Cifelli (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) singled, advanced to second on a ground ball, stole third, and crossed home plate on a fielder's choice to the Lions up 2-1. But Ramapo quickly loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the inning. Before it was over, they had tallied six runs highlighted by a two-run double by Chriss Werr, putting the game away for the host.
 
Junior Robert Graber (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo) went four and one-third innings, giving up one unearned run.
 
Game 2: TCNJ 6  Ramapo 5 (11 innings)
 
In his most critical start of the season, senior Eric Lewis (Wantagh, NY/W.C. Mepham) took the ball and delivered seven quality innings for the Lions. He gave up four runs (three earned) and struck out three. Lewis left the game with a 5-4 lead, but would not factor into the decision.
 
After dropping the opener, TCNJ got out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Junior Scott Kelly (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-North) walked and stole second base to put himself in scoring position. Galeotafiore came through with an RBI-single in the firstinning for the second straight game. The stolen base for Kelly was his 33^rd of the season. That is the second-highest total of stolen bases in a season in program history. Only Charlie Iacono compiled more, swiping 48 bases in 2006.
 
After Ramapo tied the game in the bottom of the first, the Lions manufactured a run in the second. Sophomore Paul Searles (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) and junior Rob Vafiadou (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) drew back-to-back walks. Both runners advanced on a ground ball, and Searles came in to score on an RBI-groundout by Kelly.
 
In the third, Galeotafiore tied a program record when he doubled to center field with one out. He now has 58 career doubles. Murray followed by delivering a run-scoring single, and TCNJ owned a 3-1 lead.
 
The two-run advantage quickly evaporated as the Roadrunners strung together four hits to knot the game at three runs each in the third. An RBI-triple by Ian Osterman in the fifth gave Ramapo its first lead of the contest.
 
Down 4-3 in the seventh, Cifelli led off with a base hit to left field. One out later, Galeotafiore walked and both runners advanced on a ground ball to short. Murray stepped up to the plate and stroked a clutch, two-run single to put the Lions up 5-4.
 
Ramapo would not go down easily as they tied the game with one out in the ninth. Ham entered the game and stopped the bleeding to send the contest into extra innings. In the ninth and tenth innings, the senior stopper needed just 13 pitches to record five outs keep his teammates alive.
 
With one out in the 11^th, Kelly walked and Cifelli singled to left. Ruzich flied out to right, which brought up Galeotafiore. He connected with the first pitch he saw, smoking a base hit to left to score the speedy Kelly from second.
 
The Roadrunners got a runner aboard in the bottom half, but Ham got a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
 
Galeotafiore finished three-for-five with two runs batted in and two runs scored. He has now hit in 16 straight games. Murray and Cifelli had two hits and Ham raised his overall record to 2-2 with eight saves.
 
TCNJ will host FDU-Florham on Tuesday, April 24 at George Ackerman Park. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.