NEWARK, N.J. – The TCNJ baseball team overcame a tough, walk-off loss in game one of its NJAC doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark on Saturday with an offensive showcase in game two. The Lions blew out Rutgers-Newark, 18-2, in the second game. The Scarlet Raiders won game one, 7-5, on a walk-off home run.
The Lions' offense in game two was steady and unending. The Lions scored runs in seven of their nine at-bats, and they led, 10-0, after batting in the top of the fourth inning.
All nine starters scored at least one run, and 11 players in total scored. Six TCNJ batters had multi-hit games, led by
Joe Oczkowski and
Chris Cote with four hits apiece.
Ryan Goodall had three hits, and
Jack Haynes,
Avery Epstein and
Regan Goldberg all had two hits. Goldberg's multi-hit game came off the bench.
Oczkowski got the party started with an RBI triple in the first, and the Lions added three more runs in their next two at-bats to lead, 4-0, after three innings.
TCNJ blew the game wide open in the fourth. Two runs scored on a
Grant Sible fly ball to right, and Goodall followed with a two-run double to make it 8-0. He led the team with four RBIs. Cote hit a two-out, two-run single to left to push the advantage to 10-0.
Epstein doubled to lead off the sixth inning, and
Sebastian JnoBaptiste followed with a single. That paved the way for a three-run frame for TCNJ, capped by an Oczkowski RBI double to right center. TCNJ led, 13-1.
A four-run eighth inning with an Oczkowski RBI single. He drove in three runs and scored twice, including on Goodall's two-run triple two batters later. Goodall then scored on a wild pitch to make it 17-2.
Joey Cruciata scored on a Cote groundout in the ninth to add one more run for good measure.
Ben Amon, the reigning NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week, didn't need nearly the run support he received in earning his first victory of the season. Amon pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two runs while striking out 11 batters.
The Lions scored the most runs in a game for the team since scoring 19 at William Paterson in April 2019, and TCNJ's 20 hits were the most since a win over Wisconsin-La Crosse in March 2019.
The bounce-back effort in game two came after a tough ending to game one. A back-and-forth game saw the Lions trailing, 5-3, in the top of the eighth inning after TCNJ nearly got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh.
The Scarlet Raiders loaded the bases with nobody out and the scored tied, 3-3, but reliever
David Stec got a force out at the plate and a strikeout. A clutch, two-out single brought home two runs, though, and TCNJ fell behind, 5-3.
The Lions pulled even in the eighth, though. Haynes singled, and Oczkowski and Sible each got on base thanks to an error to load the bases with nobody out.
Jack Felipe and
Chris Reeder each hit sacrifice flies, bringing the Lions back into a 5-5 tie.
The Scarlet Raiders walked off with the win after a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
TCNJ returns to action on Thursday afternoon at home against Montclair State. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
