Union, NJ … Freshman Michael Walley (Yardley, Pa/Notre Dame) threw a complete game shutout, leading The College of New Jersey to a 5-0 victory over Rowan University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.

The win advances the Lions (30-11) to the NJAC final game tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. at Kean University. TCNJ will play the winner of the Rowan/Ramapo game, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Walley was magnificent, facing just 29 batters over nine innings. He limited the Profs to three hits and walked one, while striking out five. His tremendous post-season performance gives the Lions a shot at their first NJAC tournament title since 2009.
    
TCNJ jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Patrick Anderson (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) was hit by a pitch and raced to third on a base hit to right by Zachary Shindler (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh). Gearhart, just a few hours removed from delivering the game-winning RBI against Kean, launched a ground rule double to left center to score Anderson. A ground ball to short by Jacob Simon (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown) allowed Shindler to score and TCNJ gave Walley a two-run cushion before he took the mound.

Through the first five innings, Walley faced the minimum 15 batters. He was perfect through the first four innings, and when Monny Strickland singled to lead off the fifth, Walley promptly induced a 4-6-3 double play from the next hitter.

Shindler led off the sixth with a single to left and continued to second when the ball was mishandled in the outfield. Two batters later, Alex Christian (Milltown, NJ/Spotwood) drove a pitch through the right side to make it a 3-0 game.

The Lions tacked on another run in the seventh. Ben Varone (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) led off with a single to left-center and Mike Follet (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) dropped down a bunt single. Shindler knocked in Varone with a single to center and the lead grew to 4-0.

In the eighth, Gearhart came to the plate with runners on first and second. He lined a base hit to left-center to score Follet. It marked the 97th career hit for Gearhart and 49th RBI.

Walley climbed back on the hill for the ninth and issued his first free pass of the game. He got the next hitter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to clear the bases. A ground ball to Varone ended the contest and put the Lions into the tourney final.

Shindler was a perfect 3-for-3 in the game, scored twice, and drove in a run. Follet and Gearhart each added a pair of hits.

Through four games in the NJAC playoffs, TCNJ is hitting .354 as a team with 18 extra base hits. On the day, Walley and Michael Fischer surrendered just six hits over 17-plus innings and walked two batters.