EWING, N.J.- The TCNJ baseball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader against Kean University, falling in both games by scores of 10-8 and 6-3. The Lions (18-13, 6-8) nearly pulled off a seven-run comeback in game one while the Cougars (24-11, 10-4) were able to complete a comeback from down three runs in game two to secure the sweep.

GAME 1: Kean 10, TCNJ 8

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Kean jumped out to an early lead in the first two innings as they put up three in the first and four in the second on eight hits, making the score 7-0 after two.
• The Lions go on the board in the bottom of the third on three hits to cut the Cougar lead to five.
  • Jack Haynes led off the inning with a single and stole second on a wild pitch. A Jack O'Donnell single up the middle drove Haynes in.
  • With the bases loaded and one out, Andrew Fernandez drove in Mike LaGravenis on a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing the score to 7-2.
• TCNJ put a big dent in the Cougar lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs on six hits to cut the lead to one.
  • With one on and none out, Ryan Goodall jacked his third homer of the season over the trees in left field, bringing the tally to 7-4.
  • An O'Donnell single to right center drove in Michael Schumacher and Zach Hochheiser, bringing the Lions within a run.
• The Lions found the equalizer in the seventh on a Schumacher single to right center, scoring Andrew Fernandez and tying the game at seven apiece.
• After the sixth, SP Jackson Malouf handed it over to RP Jack Marchese for relief. Marchese put up back-to-back zeros for the Lions in the sixth and seventh, preserving some huge runs for TCNJ.
• In the ninth, Kean retook the lead 8-7 on a solo shot to left.
• In the bottom half, the Lions forced extra innings with a Schumacher sac-fly to center, bringing in Fernandez.
• In the top of the tenth, the Cougars took a two-run lead with a pair of runs on two hits and retired TCNJ to hold onto the win.

STANDOUT LIONS:

• 3B Andrew Fernandez: 2-for-4, 3R, 1RBI
• DH Ryan Goodall: 2-for-4, 1R, 2RBI, 1BB
• CF Michael Schumacher: 2-for-4, 1R, 2RBI
• RF Jack O'Donnell: 2-for-5, 3RBI

 
GAME 2: Kean 6, TCNJ 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Lions struck first in game two with a couple of unearned runs on no hits to go ahead 2-0.
  • After back-to-back hit-by-pitches, a throwing error on a fielder's choice brought Fernandez home for the first run. A Haynes sac-fly two batters later scored Goodall and put the Lions up two.
• The Cougars responded in a big way in the top of the sixth with five runs on three hits and one error in the field to take a three-run lead.
• Kean extended their lead to four runs in the seventh with a solo home run over the left field fence.
• Amon kept things alive for the Lions as he went eight innings, allowing one earned run on eight hits, six strikeouts, and three walks.
• TCNJ knocked in one more run in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with one out, but could not drive the runs needed across as Kean came away with the Sweep.

STANDOUT LIONS:

• LF Jack Haynes: 2-for-3, 1RBI
• SP Ben Amon: 8.0 IP, 8H, 1ER, 6K, 3BB

UP NEXT:

• TCNJ Baseball returns to George Ackerman Park on Tuesday for a matchup with Arcadia University starting at 3:30 PM.