AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The TCNJ baseball team went to extra innings for the second time in four games at the RussMatt Invitational on Thursday afternoon against Salve Regina, but this time, the Lions came out on top. TCNJ earned a 2-1 victory in a tightly played pitchers' duel.
 
TCNJ starting pitcher Tom Kelly was fantastic, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits and one walk. He fanned five while throwing just 81 pitches.
 
Kelly faced the minimum through four innings, and he wiggled out of a jam in the fifth. After a leadoff double and a wild pitch put a runner on third with no outs, he got a pop up for the first out and a dropped third strike for the second out.
 
On that play, catcher Ryan Goodall fired to first base for that second out, and the Salve Regina runner broke for the plate. Joe Oczkowski received the throw from Goodall for the second out, and he returned the ball back to the plate to Goodall to get the tag applied. That kept the game scoreless.
 
TCNJ finally broke the scoreless tie in the seventh. Chris Cote led off with a single, and he was at second with two outs when Zach Hochheiser singled up the middle to bring him home.
 
Salve Regina had two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but a 6-4-3 double play ended that threat and Kelly's afternoon on the bump.
 
The game was tied in the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to three walks and two wild pitches, but a strikeout by Alec Schwartz ended the inning to send the game into extra innings.
 
In the top of the 10^th inning, Hochheiser walked and ended up on third base after a ground out and a balk. Needing just to get the ball to the outfield to get Hochheiser home, Sebastian JnoBaptiste ripped a double to left to easily bring the go-ahead run home.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Salve Regina put runners on first and second with one out, but Schwartz struck out the next two batters to finish the game.
 
Mike Lagravenis, Chris Reeder and Goodall all had a hit for the Lions. Goodall's was a double, and Lagravenis added a stolen base.
 
TCNJ returns to action early on Friday at Chain of Lakes Park. TCNJ plays Western New England at 9:15 a.m. and Franklin & Marshall at 12:15 p.m.