TEANECK, N.J. - The TCNJ baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader against RIT Saturday afternoon, falling 3-2 in a tightly-contested Game 1 before a 7-2 final in Game 2 secured the sweep for the Tigers. The Lions' (1-2) bats were held in check for much of the afternoon after racking up 11 hits in Friday's season-opening win over RIT, combining for just eight in today's losses.
Game 1: TCNJ 2, RIT 3
Neither side threatened in the opening inning of Saturday's doubleheader before the Tigers struck first with a pair in the second to jump in front 2-0. TCNJ finally got itself on the board two innings later after
Brian Lovaglio and
Andrew Pearson opened the fourth with a walk and double respectively to put two runners in scoring position.
Jesse Beer drew another walk to force a pitching change, but a grounder off the bat of
Joe Tammaro on the ensuing at-bat was enough to bring Lovaglio across home plate and get the Lions in the scoring column.
RIT threatened a response in the fifth with runners on the corners and one out, but a one-man double play courtesy of
Braden Dromboski halted any Tiger momentum in its tracks. Instead it was TCNJ leveling the score in the home half of the inning thanks to some smart base running from
Jack O'Donnell, who bolted for home from third after RIT tried to catch a stealing Dromboski on his way to second.
The Lions nearly took their first lead of the afternoon in the seventh when a ball off the bat of Tammaro appeared destined to clear the left field wall. Unfortunately the freshman was caught ball watching and – upon his near-homer bouncing off the fence and staying in play – was thrown out sliding into second. The Tigers would not make the same mistake, converting a leadoff double and a second TCNJ error into what would be the game-winning run.
Lovaglio tried to force extras after getting into scoring position following a sacrifice bunt by Pearson, but consecutive outs ended the game in a 3-2 defeat.
Despite taking the loss
John DiCostanzo was excellent out of the bullpen, allowing a lone unearned run and fanning six in six innings of work.
STANDOUT LIONS
- DiCostanzo: 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 Ks
- Pearson: 2-3, 1 2B
Game 2: TCNJ 2, RIT 7
Saturday's rubber match told much of the same story, with RIT wasting no time taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
Austin Hanni would make the most of his collegiate debut shortly thereafter, entering in the second inning and holding the Tigers scoreless over the next four innings.
The Lions' bats finally repaid the favor after the freshman's fourth shutout inning when
Michael Contiliano ripped a double to left field that brought
Jake Carter home all the way from first to get TCNJ on the board.
Andrew Wilkinson picked up where Hanni left off, tossing two more shutout innings while a Lovaglio solo shot in the bottom of the seventh trimmed the lead to just one at 3-2.
Wilkinson – also making his collegiate debut – ran into some trouble in the eighth with two on and two out, walking in a run before a two-RBI single ballooned the Tigers' lead to 6-2. RIT added a run in the top of the ninth before the game was called due to darkness, handing the Lions a 7-2 loss and the sweep.
STANDOUT LIONS
- Hanni: 4 IP, 0 R, 4Ks
- Contiliano: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
- Lovaglio, 1-3, 1 HR
UP NEXT
- TCNJ is on the road Thursday, Feb. 26 to take on Wilkes. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
