Box Score

Winter Haven, Fla … The College of New Jersey baseball team received its second strong pitching performance in as many days as they clipped Dickinson College 4-2 in Winter Haven, Fla.

Sophomore Steven Volpe (Cherry Hills, NJ/Eastern Regional) tossed six shutout innings to lead the Lions (2-1) to their second straight victory. Sophomore Michael Correa (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) pitched the final three innings to register the first save of his collegiate career.

TCNJ handed the Red Devils (5-1) their first loss of the season as they entered the game a perfect 5-0.

Senior Joe Dispoto (Nutley, NJ/Nutley), junior Anthony Cocuzza (Absecon, NJ/St. Augustine Prep), junior Josh Limon (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley), and freshman Ben Varone (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) all drove in runs for TCNJ. Varone finished with two hits in the game.

TCNJ put up a run in the opening frame when leadoff hitter sophomore John Rizzi (Long Hill, NJ/Watchung Hills) singled to right field and stole second base. He advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a close play at the plate when Cocuzza lined a sacrifice fly to right field.

Volpe allowed runners to reach base in the first two innings before retiring the side in order in the third.

In the bottom of the inning, Dispoto roped a two-out, two-strike single to center field to score Rizzi. He had walked, stole his second base of the game and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Volpe encountered some trouble in the sixth when the first two batters stroked singles to open the inning. The right-hander threw three straight balls before coming back to get a fly ball to left field for the first out. Dispoto made a sliding catch on a hump-back line drive to left-center two secure the second out and Volpe recorded his third strikeout of the game to end the threat and the inning.

TCNJ took the momentum with them to the plate as Cocuzza singled up the middle and stole second base. With two outs, Limon fought off an inside pitch and drove it to right-center to plate Cocuzza and push the lead to 3-0.

The pitching line for Volpe read six innings, seven hits, two walks, three strikeouts, and no runs allowed. He is now 1-0 on the season.

The Red Devils pushed across a pair of runs in the seventh to make it a one-run game. Mike DeVivo singled to right field before being replaced by pinch runner Connor Foote. He stole second, and with one out, Ryan Dolan was hit by a pitch. Catcher Hank Sanders singled to center and Foote slid in safely just around the tag to get on the scoreboard. Freshman Julian Hayes followed with a deep sacrifice fly to right-center field to close the gap to 3-2.

The got a run back immediately as third baseman Michael Murray (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) ripped a base hit to left and advanced all the way to third base off an errant throw from the left fielder. Varone punched a single to left to give Correa a two-run cushion.

The crafty left-hander retired the final six batters of the game in order to preserve the victory and chalk up his first save.

TCNJ will square off against Daniel Webster College in a doubleheader that is set to start at 9 a.m.