UNION, N.J.- The NJAC No. 5 ranked TCNJ baseball team punched their ticket to the NJAC championship on Sunday with a 7-2 win over the NJAC No. 1 ranked Profs of Rowan University.
 
Starter Jackson Malouf further proved why he was named First Team All-NJAC on the mound on Sunday. The sophomore southpaw threw six innings of one run baseball, allowing five hits and walking five while striking out five as well. Malouf was big in clutch situations as Rowan left nine baserunners on in those six innings.
 
The Lions drew first blood and never looked back as they took three in the first inning on three hits and one error. Justin Marcario seized an opportunity to steal home on a wild pitch and scoring the first run of the game. After a walk and a wild pitch to move runners into scoring position, a Jack Felipe single drove in Chris Reeder and Andrew Fernandez to give the Lions an early 3-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, the Lions got right back to it scoring four runs on three hits and two errors. Marcario picked up his second hit of the game and his first homer of the year to lead off the third, sending a missile soaring over the left field fence. Fernandez would reach first a few batters later via a throwing error which scored Reeder. A Sebastian JnoBaptiste single to right brought in Felipe and Fernandez to give the Lions a 7-0 lead midway through the third.
 
The Lions didn't score for the remainder of the contest, but Malouf, the bullpen and the Lions defense did a great job of keeping Rowan off the scoreboard.
 
In the home half of the fifth, the Profs cut the lead to six with a homer to left-center field.
 
In the sixth, Malouf escaped a bases loaded, one out jam with a strikeout and a fielder's choice to bring TCNJ back in still with that six run lead.
 
Michael Silver came in to relieve Malouf in the seventh as he flew through the seventh, retiring the side. After two walks to start the bottom of the eighth, Silver passed it along to Joe Ferreri for the last six outs. A single brought in one for the Profs in the eighth, bringing the score to 7-5.
 
Ferreri was calm, cool and collected on the mound as he took a liner off the leg, made the play and stayed in the game for the final out to send the Lions to their first NJAC Championship since winning it all in 2019.

Four Lions including Marcario, Reeder, Felipe and JnoBaptiste had a pair of hits on Sunday to lead the way to victory. Felipe led in run production with two RBIs.
 
The Lions will play the winner of the semifinal game between Rowan and Kean with the first pitch of the NJAC Championship set for Monday, May 8^th at 3:30 PM.