EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ baseball team swept Rutgers-Newark on Saturday afternoon at George Ackerman Park to start the NJAC schedule with a 2-0 record. The Lions won 7-1 and 5-3.
 
Game One: TCNJ 7, Rutgers-Newark 1
 
Peter Nielsen pitched a complete game to earn his second victory of the young season in the NJAC season-opener. Nielsen was efficient, needing just 109 pitches to go the distance. He scattered eight hits while walking just two and striking out four. Nielsen gave up his only run in the fifth inning, and it gave Rutgers-Newark a 1-0 lead.
 
The Lions' offense, which was also held scoreless through the first four innings, scored four in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Lions loaded the bases on an error to allow Jacob Simon to reach and a pair of bunt singles from Gary Otten and Ryan Fischer. After an out, Matt Giacose singled home Simon and Otten to make it 2-1 TCNJ.
 
Fischer made it 3-1 when he scored on a throwing error after a wild pitch, and Danny Borup plated Giacose with an infield single to give TCNJ a 4-1 lead.
 
Persichetti helped Nielsen with a diving catch to stop a burgeoning Rutgers-Newark rally in the top of the sixth. The Scarlet Raiders had two men on, but Persichetti's grab while diving towards the infield stopped the threat.
 
Fischer drove home Simon and Otten with a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning to push the TCNJ lead to 6-1. In the eighth, Fischer drove home Simon with another two-out hit to round out the scoring.
 
Fischer went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
 
Game Two: TCNJ 5, Rutgers-Newark 3
 
The Lions came back for the doubleheader sweep with a three-run inning in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The bottom of the eighth started with the Lions behind, 3-2, after Rutgers-Newark scored twice in the top of the seventh to take the lead. With the top of the order due, TCNJ pieced together a comeback. Borup led off the inning by reaching on a fielding error. A sacrifice bunt and a fly out followed, and the Lions had the tying run at second with two outs.
 
Tommy McCarthy reached via a hit batsman to put the go-ahead run at first, and Simon made the Scarlet Raiders pay. He doubled to left center on a 3-1 count to score both Borup and McCarthy to give TCNJ a 4-3 lead. Simon later scored on a single through the left side by Otten.
 
Rutgers-Newark scored a run in the top of the first, but it left eight men on base through the first five innings. Simon made a great diving catch to end the top of the fifth. It saved a run and gave the Lions some life.
Trailing just 1-0, the Lions took the lead in the bottom half of that inning. With Otten on third and Fischer on second with one out, Giacose grounded out to tie the score at 1-1. Borup followed with a two-out single to score Fischer to push the Lions into the lead.
 
Otten had two of TCNJ's six hits, and Dylan Crowley picked up the win in relief.
 
TCNJ moves back out of conference as it travels to Penn State Abington on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.