Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Union, NJ … A bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10^th inning gave Kean University a 5-4 victory and doubleheader sweep over The College of New Jersey on Saturday afternoon in Union, NJ.
 
The Lions (11-11, 4-2 NJAC) dropped their first two conference games of the season and saw their five-game win streak come to a close as the sixth-ranked Cougars (21-5, 5-1 NJAC) took the opener 13-5.
 
Game 1:  Kean 13  TCNJ 5
 
TCNJ had its five-game winning streak snapped as Kean scored runs in each of the first five innings and in six out of eight offensive frames.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the second, the Lions got a run back when Michael Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) led off the inning with a single. He advanced on a sacrifice bunt from shortstop Anthony Cocuzza (Absecon, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) and came around to score when sophomore Josh Limon (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) singled through the middle. It was Limon's first at bat after missing four games with an injury.
 
The Cougars erupted for four runs on five hits in the second and tacked on two more in the third, fourth, and fifth to push ahead 11-1.
 
Cocuzza tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the sixth. Freshman Garen Turner (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) knocked in a run off a fielder's choice in the seventh and Cocuzza reach and then scored on an error in the eighth.
 
Murphy, Cocuzza, and Limon each finished with two hits. Senior Rob Vafiadou (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) came in to play second base and stroked two hits in two at bats.
 
Junior Brendan Kelly (Butler, NJ/Butler) absorbed his second loss of the season and fell to 4-2. Rookie Michael Correa (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) came out of the bullpen to toss three-plus innings of relief and junior Alan Genitempo (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) surrendered an unearned run in the eighth despite giving up no hits.
 
Nick Zucchero was the winning pitcher, tossing six innings and striking out four for the Cougars. Nick Ramagli and Salvatore Taromina had three hits apiece. Shane Alvarez and Tyler Smarslok each had two hits and scored three runs.
 
Game 2:  Kean 5  TCNJ 4 (10 innings)
 
A tenth-inning single by Joe O'Connor with the bases loaded gave Kean a come-from-behind 5-4 victory in the nightcap. Trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Cougars scored single runs in the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings to capture their 21^st win of the season.
 
Freshman Steven Volpe (Cherry Hill, NJ/Rancocas Valley) allowed just one hit over seven innings, but did not factor into the decision. He surrendered three runs (two earned), and with his pitch count climbing, left the game in the eighth after walking the leadoff and holding a 4-2 lead.
 
In the bottom of the first, the Cougars plated a pair of runs to end a scoreless streak of 23 innings for Volpe. That matched the program mark by set by Dave Dudek '94 in 1993. Even more impressive is that Volpe achieved the feat in the first 23 innings of his collegiate career.
 
Down 2-0 in the second, Murphy doubled to left leading off the inning. He moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a groundout to short by sophomore Michael Murray (Turnersville, NJ/Phillipsburg) to the deficit in half
 
TCNJ tied the game in the sixth when junior Joe Dispoto (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) led off with a bunt single. He later scored in the inning on a two-out single by Cocuzza.
 
The Lions took the lead with two runs in the seventh. Murray doubled and scored on a throwing error by the catcher off of a sacrifice bunt from junior Paul Searles (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel). Dispoto hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning to plate Searles, giving TCNJ a 4-2 advantage.
 
Kean cut the lead to 4-3 in the eighth by manufacturing a run without a ball leaving the infield. In the ninth, the Lions were one out away from a win before an infield single to shortstop by Ryan Kelley scored O'Connor with the tying run. O'Connor had walked with one out, stole second, and moved to third on a ground out.
 
Shane Alvarez doubled to open the bottom of the tenth and advanced to third on a bunt. After intentionally walking the next two hitters, O'Connor came through with a base hit to right to end the game.
 
Cocuzza and Murphy both finished with two hits in the game. Cocuzza has now hit in 12 straight games.
 
The Lions will play host to St. Joseph's College of Long Island on Tuesday at 3:30 in George Ackerman Park. The rescheduled game with Gwynedd-Mercy College for Monday has been postponed.