EWING, N.J. – Off the back of seven runs and a solid outing by starter
Jesse Beer, the TCNJ baseball team ended their five-game skid with a 7-3 win at home over Stockton.
In his start which lasted 7.2 innings, Beer threw 114 pitches — 47 more than his previous career high of 67. He allowed just one run that only scored due to an odd bounce in left field; he also fanned four batters on the day. Beer exited the game after leaving the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, but reliever
Tyler Perry got the Lions (12-15) out of the jam by forcing the next batter into a flyout.
Perry himself battled some control issues in the ninth inning, giving up a pair of runs and leaving the game with runners on first and second. With the score 7-3 in favor of TCNJ and the tying run on deck, freshman
Austin Hanni entered the game in a save situation. Hanni rose to the occasion, claiming his first career save with a strikeout against the last Ospreys (6-19) batter of the afternoon.
Offensively,
Nate McLaughlin extended his hitting streak to six games with two hits on the day. He also drew one walk which scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Three other Lions also had multi-hit days:
Michael Contiliano (2-5),
Andrew Pearson (2-2), and
Jack O'Donnell (2-2). O'Donnell accounted for two of TCNJ's five RBIs and also stole a base in the game.
The Lions' bats did most of their damage in the third and fifth innings. In the top of the third, the Ospreys tied up the game at 1-1, and the Lions responded with three in the bottom of the frame. Contiliano led off with a double, followed up by a
Tyler Provost single which put runners on the corners.
Jake Carter then scored Contiliano with a sacrifice fly. The Lions later loaded the bases, and Provost scored following a wild pitch. After that, O'Donnell laid down a perfect bunt to reach first and score another. In the fifth,
Chris Salmon and Pearson began the inning with back-to-back singles, after which Salmon scored on a wild pitch. O'Donnell then lined a single up the middle to score another run and give the Lions a 6-1 lead. TCNJ's last run of the day on a
Brian Lovaglio sacrifice fly in the seventh frame.
STANDOUT LIONS
- Beer: 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 hits allowed, 4 Ks
- O'Donnell: 2-2, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
- Pearson: 2-2, 2 R, 1 BB
- Contiliano: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B
- McLaughlin: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
UP NEXT
- TCNJ will travel to Montclair State tomorrow for a Saturday doubleheader. The first game is slated for an 11:30 AM start, and the second game is scheduled for 2:30 PM.
