UNION, N.J.  - The third-seeded TCNJ baseball team was back on the road to take on top-seeded Kean in an NJAC Tournament elimination game Wednesday afternoon, grinding out a 9-1 win to knock off the seventh-ranked Cougars and advance to the next round.
 
The Lions (25-16-1) were methodical in manufacturing the upset, scoring a run in all but two innings while Jackson Malouf put together another gem on the mound en route to the decisive win.
 
TCNJ wasted no time getting on the board in Saturday's game, with Mike LaGravenis registering the first of his three hits on the day from the leadoff spot. A failed sacrifice bunt attempt replaced the senior at first with Jack O'Donnell before Gianni Marano ripped a double down the left field line to put the pair in scoring position with just one out. Ryan Goodall was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring Justin Marcario to the plate, who hit a fly ball just deep enough to score O'Donnell and give the Lions the 1-0 lead – one they would hold the rest of the way.
 
While Malouf took care of business on the mound – the senior allowed just two hits through the first three innings – Andrew Fernandez stayed red hot at the plate, hitting solo home runs in both the second and fourth innings to triple TCNJ's lead to 3-0. The senior is in the midst of one of the hottest stretches of his career, hitting .667 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in his last five games.
 
Kean (35-8) got as close as they would get to scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning after back-to-back singles put two on with no one out, but Malouf coolly retired three of the next four batters he would face to keep the Cougars off the board. Instead it was the Lions getting RBIs from Marcario and Marano to make it a 5-0 game before a three-run seventh inning in response to the Cougars spoiling the shutout put the game out of reach.
 
Zach Hochhesier was the first man to reach safely after drawing a four-pitch walk, with Tyler Provost and Fernandez both taking pitches off the arms to load the bases with just one out. Brian Lovaglio then stepped to the plate and hit a single to right that scored Hochheiser, with a fielder's choice on the ensuing at-bat bringing Provost across home plate as well. Fernandez would serve as the third run of the inning, showed his speed by scoring on a wild pitch to balloon the lead to 8-1.
 
The Lions' ninth and final run of the game would come an inning later on an RBI double off the bat of Hochheiser that scored Marcario all the way from first before Ben Amon entered the game in relief and tossed a pair of perfect innings to close things out and punch TCNJ's ticket to the next round.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Fernandez: 4-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
• LaGravenis: 3-6, 1 RBI
• Marcario: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 R
• Malouf: 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K

UP NEXT

• TCNJ is back Friday, May 9 to take on Rowan with a spot in the NJAC Championship series on the line. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.