Box Score

UNION, N.J. (May 1, 2015) – With its back against the wall here Friday, the top-seeded Rutgers University-Camden baseball team came out swinging in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors slugged 13 hits and rode the five-hit shutout pitching of junior Billy Jackson (Estell Manor, NJ/Buena Regional) to eliminate fifth-seeded Montclair State University, 7-0, in a losers' bracket game.
 
Rutgers-Camden (22-15) advances to Saturday's action, where it will play at 10 a.m. against Ramapo College, which lost to Kean University, 5-4, Friday night. Montclair State ends its season with a 17-18 record.
 
Jackson (5-1) was in charge throughout the day, limiting the Red Hawks to five singles and one walk, while striking out three. The Red Hawks managed to get two base runners in only two innings – the third and the ninth – and the third inning ended with a double play.  
 
The Scarlet Raptors, meanwhile, jumped on MSU junior southpaw Michael Macchia (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) for two runs before the Red Hawks even came to bat. Junior third baseman Brett Tenuto (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) opened the game with an infield single and sophomore catcher Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) drew a walk. After a sacrifice by sophomore left fielder Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), senior center fielder Bobby Romano (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) drove home both runners with a triple to right center. It was the eighth triple of the year for Romano, who entered the week tied for second in triples across NCAA Division III.
 
The Raptors tacked on another run in the second inning following back-to-back one-out singles by junior second baseman Matthew McElhatton (Haddon Heights, NJ/Camden Catholic) and sophomore right fielder Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee). Theckston plated the run with a two-out single up the middle.
 
Rutgers-Camden added two more runs in the fourth inning, sparked by McElhatton's one-out single. Ellin reached on a fielder's choice, with McElhatton advancing to second on an infield error, and Tenuto walked to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Theckston ripped a two-run single to left.
 
Jackson helped his own cause in the fifth inning, opening the frame with a single. One out later, senior first baseman Connor Hall (Delran, NJ/Delran) singled. After McElhatton reached on a fielder's choice, retiring Jackson, Ellin reached on an infield error that plated Hall. Tenuto added a RBI single to cap the Raptors' scoring.
 
Rutgers-Camden had two hits apiece from Tenuto, Theckston, Jackson, Hall, McElhatton and Ellin. Romano, who had the other Raptor hit, had a triple, while one of Ellin's hits was a double.
 
Theckston finished with three RBIs and Romano added two, while McElhatton scored three runs.