Box Score GLASSBORO, N.J. – Trailing by two runs entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the top-seeded Rutgers University-Camden Scarlet Raptors needed a big rally or faced the prospect of getting eliminated from the New Jersey Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament here Saturday morning.
The Raptors opted for the big-rally comeback route.
Rutgers-Camden scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, overcoming a 3-1 deficit, and went on to eliminate fourth-seeded Kean University, 5-3, to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. The Scarlet Raptors (29-10-1) will face second-seeded Rowan University at 2:30 p.m. today.
Kean (29-12) was eliminated from the tournament.
Rutgers-Camden faced that prospect in the losers' bracket game until the eighth, when freshman designated hitter
Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) opened the frame with a single through the right side and senior rightfielder
Adrian Gonzalez (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) singled to center. When the Cougars tried to make a play on Brooks heading to third, they allowed Gonzalez and his potential tying run to advance to second base. After junior first baseman
Connor Hall (Delran, NJ/Delran) drew a walk to load the bases, freshman leftfielder
Doug Carter (Union, NJ/Union) ripped a game-tying double to left. Freshman catcher
Jon Theckston (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) delivered a sacrifice fly to center, plating Hall with the go-ahead run and moving Carter to third. Freshman shortstop
Tim Holder (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to left.
The big comeback made a winner out of Rutgers-Camden freshman starter
Harry Sturgis (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford), who worked eight innings to raise his record to 4-0. He allowed eight hits and three earned runs, while striking out one. He didn't walk a batter.
Sophomore
Kyle Gaff (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester) struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning to earn his fifth save.
Sturgis worked out of a first-inning jam when he had runners at second and third base with one out, and the Scarlet Raptors immediately picked up a run for him in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore second baseman
Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a single by Brooks and scored on a single by Gonzalez. The RBI by Gonzalez was his 46th of the season, tying the program record set in 1996 by Gerry Gatelein.
In a tight pitchers' duel between Sturgis and Kean junior
Charles Thielmann (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway), the Raptors held their 1-0 lead until the fifth inning. Kean's sophomore designated hitter
Sal Taormina (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) opened the Cougars' three-run rally with a single through the left side. Senior first baseman
Nick Zucchero (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) followed with a single through the right side and a wild pitch moved up both runners. Sophomore rightfielder
Ryan Kelley (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) singled home the tying run and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Senior second baseman
Tyler Smarslok (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) put the Cougars ahead with a sacrifice fly, scoring Zucchero, and sophomore shortstop
Ryan Reitmeyer (Lacey Township, NJ/Lacey Township) hit a two-out single up the middle to plate Kelley.
Thielmann (3-4) made the lead stand up until the Raptors' rally in the eighth inning. He ended up with an eight-inning complete game, allowing eight hits, three walks and five earned runs. He struck out eight.
Brooks led the Raptors' attack with a 3-for-4 day, adding one run scored. Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI, while Carter was 1-for-3 with one run and two RBIs.
Reitmeyer was 3-for-4 for the Cougars.
