Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey baseball team surged to its 10^th consecutive victory, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham 10-9 on Tuesday afternoon in George Ackerman Park.
 
The Lions won 11 straight earlier this season and are one game shy of matching that number. They improved to 24-4 on the season and will host Rutgers-Camden University this Thursday in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match-up.
 
The Devils scored five runs in the ninth to make it interesting, but sophomore Matt Curry (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) came on to get the final three outs to record his seventh save of the season.
 
FDU-Florham dropped to 9-17 this season with the loss.
 
A five-run first inning was all the offense freshman Zac deRocco (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) would need to register his first collegiate win. deRocco (1-0) went seven innings, limited the Devils to seven hits, gave up two earned runs, and struck out two.
 
In the first, senior Patrick Roberts (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) ripped a single to right field to score the first run of the game. After a walk to senior Garen Turner (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) forced in a second run, junior Alex Christian (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) knocked in two with a hard single to center. Freshman Erik Rano (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville) made it a 5-0 game with a base hit to left.
 
A line drive to left by Turner drove in Roberts to stretch the lead to 6-0 in the second. FDU got on the board with a run in the third, but the Lions got that run back in the bottom of the frame.
 
Junior Ben Varone (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) doubled to deep left to lead off the sixth and later came home on an errant throw. The Devils nicked deRocco for two runs in the seventh to make it an 8-3 score.
 
With two outs in the seventh, Christian notched his third hit of the day by driving a ball to the left-center gap for a stand-up triple. Senior Matt Facas (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) then deposited an 0-1 pitch off the netting in left-center for his first home run of the season.
 
Devils right fielder Vinny Bonnacorso belted a three-run home run to left field to draw within three in the top of the ninth. Bryan Pieschel then followed with a two-run blast to right to make it a one-run game. Curry induced a pair of fly ball outs and a ground to second to end the game.
 
Roberts and Christian each finished with three hits in the game. Facas and John Rizzi (Long Hill, NJ/Watchung Hills) rapped out two hits apiece.
 
The Lions welcome the Scarlet Raptors on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. They are currently 17-9 this season and rest in fifth place in the league standings with a record of 5-5.