Box Score
CAMDEN, N.J. (April 24, 2016) – In a battle that started out as a tight contest and ended up as a wild sprint to the finish, senior first baseman
Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) tied a record and broke open a tie game here Sunday.
Sigismondi drilled a two-run tie-breaking double in the eighth inning, one frame after tying the Rutgers University-Camden career record with his 47th time as a hit batsman, to lead the Scarlet Raptors over a strong Misericordia University team, 10-5, in a non-conference game.
The victory lifts the Scarlet Raptors to 21-11, while the Cougars fall to 25-10.
The contest between two teams who both received votes toward the recent American Baseball Coaches Association and the
D3baseball.com national polls, the game was deadlocked at 2-2 after six innings before runs started coming fast and furious. Rutgers-Camden moved ahead with a three-run bottom of the seventh, only to have Misericordia answer with a three-spot of its own in the top of the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, however, facing Misericordia closer
Elliot Forde (West Grove, PA/Avon Grove), the Raptors opened the frame with consecutive walks to junior designated hitter
Andujar Cedeno (Bronx, NY/Escuela Nueva Esperanza, DR) and freshman third baseman
Ray Taylor (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood), with Cedeno being replaced by junior pinch-runner
Andrew Biggs (Millville, NJ/Millville). Senior second baseman
Brett Tenuto (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) advanced the runners with a sacrifice before Sigismondi delivered a big two-run double to right center. Junior
Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) followed with an RBI single. One pitcher, two singles and two errors later, the Raptors had completed a five-run inning, which included an RBI single by freshman shortstop
Chris Jones (Sewell, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep).
The Raptors started the game as if they might blow open the contest in the bottom of the first inning. They used three hits, a sacrifice fly by Brooks, an error and an RBI walk to junior centerfielder
Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) to take a 2-0 lead, but left the bases loaded.
Misericordia fought back with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to tie the game before the Scarlet Raptors seemingly took control with a three-run seventh. Tenuto sparked the rally with a one-out single before Sigismondi reached base as a hit batsman. His 47th career HBP tied the program mark set by Tom Cusano (1991-94). It also raised his season total to 14, three shy of the club record set by Shaune Collins in 2012.
Brooks followed with an RBI single to center and the Raptors added two more runs on RBI singles by junior rightfielder
Doug Carter Jr. (Union, NJ/Union) and junior catcher
Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic).
Misericordia rallied in the top of the eighth on two walks, two wild pitches, a pair of hits, including an RBI double by sophomore third baseman
Alec Iurato (Chappaqua, NY/Yorkstown) and a game-tying suicide squeeze by senior first baseman
Mike Westrich (Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis South).
After playing a big role in Rutgers-Camden's eighth-inning uprising, Sigismondi made one last key contribution in the ninth inning after the Cougars put two of their first three batters on base with a single and a walk. Iurato hit a ground ball down the first base line that kicked off the corner of the bag, but Sigismondi's quick reflexes allowed him to bare hand the ball and retire Iurato. Raptor senior
Kyle Gaff (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City) finished off the win with a strikeout. Garr, the fourth Raptor hurler on the day, earned the win by working 1.2 shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out one. He raised his record to 2-0.
Rutgers-Camden's 15-hit attack was led by Carter, who went 4-for-4 with one RBI to increase his team lead to 29 RBIs. Sigismondi went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Tenuto, Brooks and Theckston added two hits apiece.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Tuesday, playing a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game at Moravian College.
