Box Score CAMDEN, N.J. (March 5, 2016) – A strong College at Brockport baseball team brought numerous impressive statistics into its seventh game of the season here Saturday, including a 6-0 record and enough votes to place the Golden Eagles 27th on the list of
D3baseball.com's national ranking.
Rutgers-Camden, however, has an outstanding baseball program of its own, and the Scarlet Raptors bounced back from an early two-run deficit and broke the game open with a six-run eighth on their way to an 8-2 non-conference victory.
The Scarlet Raptors, 2-0, received strong pitching from senior southpaw
Andrew Gottstein (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) and a stellar 4.2-inning hitless relief outing from sophomore righty
Carter Fichter (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) to cool down the Brockport bats. In winning their first six games, the Golden Eagles had outscored opponents, 71-19, while compiling a .378 team batting average. They had only six hits Saturday, all coming off Gottstein in his 4.1 innings of work.
Brockport chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings against Gottstein, who walked one, struck out four and allowed the two earned runs. Fichter, meanwhile, earned the victory with his long hitless relief appearance. He walked three and struck out four in earning his first decision of the season.
While Brockport was struggling to score against the Raptors, Rutgers-Camden was being held scoreless on only two singles over the first four innings by Golden Eagle junior
Austin Spindler (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca East). The Scarlet Raptors finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, following a leadoff walk to senior third baseman
Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) and a sacrifice by junior right fielder
Doug Carter Jr. (Union, NJ/Union). With two outs, junior catcher
Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) delivered an RBI single to left field.
Rutgers-Camden finally chased Spindler, and eventually tied the game, in the seventh inning. A leadoff walk to senior second baseman
Brett Tenuto (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) spelled the end of the day for the Golden Eagle starter and Brockport brought in its closer, junior
Seve Kowalski (Franklin Springs, NY/Clinton). Freshman pinch-hitter
Ray Taylor (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood) sacrificed Tenuto to second and Sigismondi singled to put runners at the corner. Carter followed by pushing a perfect bunt up the first base line to plate the tying run.
The close game turned into a deceptive-looking romp in the Raptors' six-run eighth inning, which started with an out before the floodgates opened on an infield single by junior left fielder
Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). Freshman shortstop
Chris Jones (Washington Township, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) followed with a single through the left side of the infield and the Raptors were temporarily robbed of the lead when a line drive ticketed for the left field line by junior DH
Cory Kreamer (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) was speared on a great leaping catch by Brockport third baseman
Joe Bender (Slingerlands, NY/Guilderland). With two outs, however, Tenuto ripped a two-run triple to the left field wall and Taylor followed with an RBI double to right, chasing Kowalski. After Sigismondi was hit by a pitch from new hurler
Nick Jerolimov (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), Carter singled home another run and junior center fielder
Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) capped the frame with a two-run double.
Ellin and Jones both collected two hits for the Raptors, while Ellin, Tenuto and Carter had two RBIs apiece. Tenuto and Sigismondi both scored a pair of runs.
Senior second baseman
Wesley Burghardt (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) had two of the six Brockport hits.
Brockport returns to action tomorrow with an 11 a.m. game against Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York. Rutgers-Camden will travel to York, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. non-conference game with York College.
