Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth in the nightcap to defeat William Paterson University 4-3 and complete a doubleheader sweep on Sunday afternoon in George Ackerman Park.
 
With the bases loaded and one out trailing 4-3, junior Mark Mari (Bayonne, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) hit a ground ball to second base. The ball was fielded cleanly but thrown wide of the shortstop in an attempt to turn a double play. The ball carried into left field and sophomore Ben Varone (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) crossed home plate with the winning run.
 
The Lions won the opener 7-6 to capture a pair of tight wins in New Jersey Athletic Conference play. It was a monumental weekend for TCNJ as they came out on top of four conference games. They won five of six during the week and now stand at 12-10 overall and 5-4 in the NJAC.
 
William Paterson dropped to 16-8 this season and 4-6 in league play.
 
Game 1: TCNJ 7  WPU 6
 
Sophomore Garen Turner (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) was the difference-make in the opener. picked up where he left off in the Saturday doubleheader, when he drove in seven runs. He knocked in four runs to lift TCNJ to its third straight win.
 
A two-out single by Turner in the bottom of the eighth scored John Rizzi to give TCNJ a 7-6 victory. Sophomore Eric Teesdale (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) registered the final five outs of the game to notch his second win of the season.
 
Turner got TCNJ's offense rolling in the first with a two-run single in the first. Senior Josh Limon (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Lions an early 3-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers were held scoreless through the first three innings, in part due to some fine defensive play by the Lions. They cut down two runners at the plate to keep WPU off the scoreboard. Third baseman Michael Murray (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) fielded a ground ball to his left, spun and fired home to catcher CJ Gearhart (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) to throw out a runner in the second. In the third, pitcher John Spinapont (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro) fielded a swinging bunt down the first-base line and tossed a backhand flip to Gearhart to get the runner at the plate.
 
In the fourth, WPU broke through with four runs to take a 4-3 lead. Victor Sanchez walked and stole second before racing home on a base hit to right-center by Jordan Aughey. Mike Knauf drove in Aughey with a single to center. Mike Abate and A.J. Flores also drove in runs as the Pioneers tallied four hits in the inning.
 
Three straight singles off the bats of Mari, Anthony Cocuzza (Absecon, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) and Patrick Roberts (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) loaded the bases in the fifth. Turner grounded out to first to chase home his third RBI of the day. With two outs, Gearhart reached on a throwing and two more runs came around to score to give TCNJ a 6-4 advantage.
 
In the seventh, the Pioneers inched closer as Sanchez walked and Aughey doubled to left to cut their deficit to 6-5. They tied the game in the eighth when Jimmy Kenny lined an RBI-single to right field.
 
Rizzi stroked a double to left with one away in the eighth. After Mari walked and Cocuzza singled, Turner knocked in his fourth run of the day with a base hit to right-center. That would prove to be the game-winner as Teesdale retired the side in order in the ninth.
 
Cocuzza finished 4-for-5, while Rizzi, Roberts, Turner and Ben Varone (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) each had two hits.
 
Spinapont tossed the first three innings and gave way to senior Ryan Carmon (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery). Carmon surrendered two runs (one earned) over four and a third innings.
 
Game 2: TCNJ 4  WPU 3
 
WPU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the back-end game. Singles by Abate and Flores and a stolen base set up Flores for an RBI-ground out.
 
The Lions took advantage of a couple infield errors in the top of the first. Roberts and Limon put the ball on the ground to score runners from third and TCNJ gained a 2-1 advantage. Tyler Garguilo answered back by lining a single up the middle to tie the game 2-2 in the third.
 
The next four frames were scoreless as TCNJ starter Matt Curry (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and WPU starter Jon Padilla kept the opposing offenses at bay. Curry was extremely effective in the middle innings, allowing just two baserunners from the fourth through the seventh inning.
 
In the eighth, a two-out error and a walk put runners at first and second for the Pioneers. Aughey lined a base hit to right-center to give WPU a 3-2. TCNJ senior Benito Gonzalez (Perth Amboy, NJ/Princeton) came out of the bullpen to record the final two outs of the inning.
 
The Pioneers made two outstanding defensive plays to keep the game tied in the bottom of the eighth. Cocuzza worked a one-out walk and Roberts came up and slammed a pitch to right-center. Abate made an exceptional, over-the-shoulder catch to take away an extra base hit and send Cocuzza back to first.
 
With two outs and runners on first and second, Limon hit a hard ground ball through the shortstop hole. Garguilo charged and hit catcher Jorge Solodkin on a line to get Cocuzza at the plate.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Gearhart reached on an error with one out. Varone hit a sharp single to left and Rizzi drew a walk. Mari then stepped to the plate and hit a two-strike ground ball to second. Ed Guippone (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial), who was pinch-running for Gearhart, scored along with Varone to end the game.
 
Curry went seven and two-thirds and did a tremendous job in his first NJAC start. He struck out six and walked one. Gonzalez earned his second win of the season.
 
Padilla also did an outstanding job for WPU. He went seven and two-third, struck out three and surrendered just one earned run.