Box Score

Senior Day insert

 Ewing, NJ … An eight-run rally in the fifth inning led Rowan University to a 14-5 victory over The College of New Jersey on Friday afternoon in George Ackerman Park.
 
The loss drops the Lions (17-18, 8-8 NJAC) into sixth place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings. The Profs raised their record to 27-11 and 11-5 in league play. Richard Stockton took sole possession of fifth place as they moved to 9-7 in the NJAC after defeating Kean University 6-1.


The top six teams in the conference standings qualifying for the playoffs. One win by TCNJ tomorrow or a loss by Rutgers University-Camden tonight or tomorrow clinches a post-season berth for the Lions.

Rowan plated 12 runs in the game on 13 hits and took advantage of four defensive miscues by the Lions. Outfielders Nick Krieger and Eric Perez each finished with three hits in the game.
 
The Profs staked starting pitcher Ryan Sharkey with a 1-0 lead in the first. Krieger doubled down the right-field line to open the game. He advanced to third on a ground ball to the right side and scored when Casey Grimes hit a deep fly ball to right-center.
 
A bright spot for TCNJ came in the second inning when senior Michael Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) hit the first pitch he saw back through the box for the 200^th hit of his collegiate career. Murphy becomes the 11^th in Lions' program history to reach the 200-hit milestone.
 
Grimes made it a 3-0 score in the third when he drove a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field for his seventh home run of the season.
 
The Lions cut into the deficit with a run in the fourth. Senior Scott Kelly (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-North) lined a single that got past the left fielder and raced all the way to third base. Freshman Mark Mari (Bayonne, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) hit a ground ball to shortstop to score Kelly and put the Lions on the board.
 
The Profs put the game out of reach in the fifth. Eric Sellito and Ryan Williams each stroked run-scoring doubles in an eight-run outburst. Krieger notched his third hit of the game with an RBI single to center as Rowan finished the inning with an 11-1 lead.
 
Freshman Matt Facas (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) stroked an RBI-double and Mari lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth to account for the Lions second and third runs. Sophomore David Rondesko (South River, NJ/South River) laced a pinch-hit double to left-center field to drive in a fourth run in the ninth. He later scored on an RBI-groundout by Peter Kennedy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech).
 
Sophomore Jake DeWitt (Florence, NJ/Florence Twp) and Murphy each finished with two hits.
 
Sharkey pitched seven innings and allowed just seven hits and one earned run to improve to 2-0 on the season. Sophomore Matt Nelson tossed the final two innings of relief.
 
Junior Brendan Kelly (Butler, NJ/Butler) suffered the loss for TCNJ. Senior Alan Genitempo (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) and freshman Jonathan Michnik (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) also pitched in relief for the Lions.
 
TCNJ visits Richard Stockton College tomorrow for its final two regular season games. The twinbill is scheduled to start at 11:30.
 
Note: Prior to the game, six seniors on the Lions' baseball team were honored before their family and teammates on Senior Day. Rob Vafiadou (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel), Alan Genitempo (Nutley, NJ/Nutley), Robert Schneider (Township of Washington, NJ/Westwood), Robert Graber (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo), Scott Kelly (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-North), and Michael Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) were joined by their parents in a pre-game ceremony at the park.