Box Score CAMDEN, N.J. – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team wore its hitting shoes here Friday against New Jersey Athletic Conference foe Stockton University.
The Scarlet Raptors ripped a season-high 15 hits off three Stockton pitchers, including a 3-for-4 performance by sophomore right fielder
Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee), as they defeated the Ospreys, 8-4.
Rutgers-Camden, which entered the day with a half-game lead over Kean, Rowan and Ramapo at the top of the NJAC standings, improves to 11-9 overall and 6-1 in the conference. Stockton falls to 11-8 and 3-4.
The Scarlet Raptors collected at least one hit in every inning except their final at bat in the eighth. They loaded the bases in the first inning with nobody out against Stockton starter and losing pitcher
Dylan Warburton (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township), who had entered the game with a 2-0 record and a 0.49 ERA. The first three Raptors singled – junior first baseman
Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional), sophomore shortstop
Tim Holder (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and sophomore left fielder
Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) – before Warburton limited the damage to one run, sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a sacrifice fly by senior center fielder
Bobby Romano (Vineland, NJ/Vineland). The Raptors struck for another run in the third when Holder walked, moved up on Brooks' ground out and scored on a single by senior designated hitter
Adam Bartholomew (Haddon Heights, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep). They added two more in the fourth when sophomore catcher
Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), junior second baseman
Matthew McElhatton (Haddon Heights, NJ/Camden Catholic), Ellin and Sigismondi opened the frame with four straight singles. Sigismondi collected a RBI on his hit, while Brooks plated the second run on a fielder's choice.
Stockton got on the scoreboard in the fifth against Raptor senior starter
Jeff Singer (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross), who worked six innings to raise his record to 3-1. He allowed four hits, two runs (one unearned) and two walks, while striking out 10. The Ospreys had two of those hits in the fifth, with a leadoff single by senior first baseman
Erik Danser (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and a double by senior catcher
Andy Oliver (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove). Danser scored on a balk.
Rutgers-Camden got that run back in the bottom of the frame on a triple by Romano and a sacrifice fly by Theckston, taking a 5-1 lead into the key sixth inning. The first four Ospreys reached base on an error, a walk, a hit batsman and an RBI single by senior right fielder
George Eisenhart (Harrison Township, NJ/Clearview), cutting the gap to 5-2. Singer wriggled out of the jam with a comebacker to the mound, forcing a runner at the plate, and two straight strikeouts.
The Raptors broke the game open with three runs in the seventh, sparked by a Brooks single. Romano doubled him home and scored on a single by Tenuto. Tenuto stole second, advanced on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch.
Stockton plated its final two runs in the eight on a walk, two hits – including an Eisenhart RBI single – and a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop
Mark Jankowski (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township). In addition to Ellin's three hits, the Raptors had two hits apiece from Sigismondi, Holder, Brooks and Romano, who ripped a double and a triple to go along with his sacrifice fly. He had two runs and two RBIs. Both Romano and Theckston extended their hitting streaks to five games, currently the longest on the team.
Stockton's six-hit attack featured two apiece by Eisenhart and senior third baseman
Brett Solomen (Harrison Township, NJ/Clearview). Rutgers-Camden returns to action Saturday when it hosts Ramapo College in an 11:30 a.m. NJAC doubleheader. The Raptors play a NJAC makeup game at Stockton on Monday at 3:30 p.m. That game was rained out on Thursday.
Stockton, meanwhile, hosts William Paterson University Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in another NJAC doubleheader.
