Union, NJ … The College of New Jersey baseball team dropped a pair of tight games to Kean University in its New Jersey Athletic Conference opening weekend.
 
The Lions (14-4, 0-2 NJAC) were edged by the Cougars 2-1 in 12 innings. In the second game, Kean (12-9, 2-0 NJAC) scored two runs in the sixth and seventh innings to capture a 7-4 victory.
 
Game 1: Kean 2  TCNJ 1 (12 innings)
 
The opener was a quintessential pitcher's duel as senior Steven Volpe (Cherry Hill, NJ/Eastern Regional) locked horns with Cougar junior Richie Ferguson. They matched each other with five scoreless innings to open the game before Kean got on the board with an unearned run in the sixth. That lead was short-lived as senior Patrick Roberts (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) blasted his third home run of the season to lead off the top of the seventh to tie the game.
 
Volpe and Ferguson continued to throw up blanks over the next four innings. Volpe finished his outing going 10 innings, giving up one unearned run, and walking one. He is currently 3-0 with a 2.12 earned run average in 34 innings pitched.
 
Ferguson continued and pitched all 12 innings. He surrendered nine hits, one earned run, walked two, and struck out four to move to 3-2 on the season.
 
In the bottom of the 12^th, Cougar catcher Brian Cole singled with one out. Tyler Heisch followed with a base hit up the middle. After Lions' reliever Matt Curry (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) struck out the next batter looking, Sal Taormina ended the game with a single to right to score Cole.
 

Game 2:  Kean 7  TCNJ 4
 
The Lions banged out 12 hits and had multiple runners aboard in seven of nine innings, but left 10 runners on base in the nightcap. They held a pair of one-run leads early in the game, but the Cougars were able to manufacture runs in the middle innings.
 
TCNJ got on the scoreboard in the second when senior Matt Facas (Florham, NJ/Hanover Park) drove in sophomore Zachary Shindler (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) with a double down the left-field line. Kean responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Roberts doubled to right-center to chase Anderson (singled to center) and tie the game, 2-2.
 
In the fourth, Shindler double to left-center to open the inning. Sophomore Mike Follet (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) delivered a two-out, RBI-single to put the Lions in front, 3-2. Kean answered with a run of its own in the fourth to square it up, 3-3.
 
Cougar hitters Andy Lopez and Ryan Reitmeyer singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth. They advanced on a wild pitch to put runners and second and third. Kean then executed back-to-back squeeze bunts to take a 5-3 advantage. A two-run double by Lopez in the seventh extended the lead to 7-3.
 
Trailing by four in the ninth, senior Garen Turner (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) ripped a two-run double to right-center to drive in Anderson. But Kean reliever Ian Fitzgerald locked down his second save of the season to close the inning.
 
Shindler went 3-for-4 with a double in the game. Roberts and Facas each had two hits and Anderson scored twice.
 
The Lions will look to get back on the winning side this Tuesday when they host Immaculata University in George Ackerman Park at 4:00 p.m.