Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Tough conditions, errors and two tough pitchers proved to be about the only things that could cool down the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team here Monday.
Playing in a downpour, the Scarlet Raptors allowed four unearned runs and saw their four-game winning streak snapped as they fell to New Jersey City University, 4-3, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference makeup game.
Rutgers-Camden, which entered the day leading the NJAC, falls to 4-2 in the conference. The Scarlet Raptors, who had won eight of their previous nine games, including a 15-5 win over NJCU Thursday in Camden, are 13-6-1 overall.
The Gothic Knights improve to 8-12 overall and 2-4 in the NJAC, splitting the season series with the Scarlet Raptors for the fourth consecutive season.
NJCU junior
Mark Wagner (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), making his first start since high school, worked seven innings and scattered eight hits and one walk in earning the victory. Wagner (1-0) allowed three runs, two earned, and struck out three. He was relieved by freshman
Mark Petrucelli (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Queen of Peace) after the first two Scarlet Raptors reached base in the eighth inning. Petrucelli induced a double play and ended the threat with a pop up, then retired the side in order in the ninth inning to earn his first save.
The tough-luck losing pitcher for the Scarlet Raptors was senior
(Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). He moved to third on a double by sophomore second baseman
Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional), and both runners came home on a double down the left field line by freshman designated hitter
Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). Brooks, who earned his second honor as the NJAC Rookie of the Week earlier in the day, finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, stretching his hitting streak to six games.
Tenuto and Sigismondi also went 2-for-4 in the game, with Tenuto scoring twice and Sigismondi adding one run.
The Scarlet Raptors' lead was short-lived, as the Gothic Knights opened the bottom of the third reaching on an error. Three hits and another error later, NJCU had three unearned runs and a 4-2 lead.
Rutgers-Camden cut the gap to 4-3 with an unearned run in the fifth inning, but couldn't push across the tying run the rest of the way. The fifth inning included singles by Tenuto and senior rightfielder
Adrian Gonzalez (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) and a run-scoring error.
NJCU's eight-hit attack included two hits apiece by sophomore catcher
Andrew Niech (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) and freshman leftfielder
Eric Giordano (Metuchen, NJ/JFK-Iselin).The Scarlet Raptors return to action Wednesday with a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game at Penn State-Abington.
