Box Score

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (April 29, 2016) – While the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff hopes of the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team aren't dead yet, they are certainly in critical condition entering the last day and final doubleheader of the NJAC regular season.
 
The Montclair State Red Hawks posted a 2-1 victory over the Scarlet Raptors here Friday to place the Scarlet Raptors in dire need of a miracle Saturday. Rutgers-Camden and William Paterson University both enter their final NJAC doubleheader tied for sixth place in the race for one of six conference playoff berths. Since Paterson holds the tie-breaker by virtue of an early-season doubleheader sweep over the Raptors, Rutgers-Camden must have one more win than the Pioneers on the final day of the season or else the Scarlet Raptors will miss the NJAC playoffs. To make the task tougher, the Raptors play an 11:30 a.m. twinbill at NJAC-leading Kean University. The Pioneers travel to last-place New Jersey City University, which owns only one NJAC win this season.
 
The win lifts Montclair State to 20-16 overall and 10-6 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Camden falls to 21-14 overall, to go along with its 7-9 conference record.
 
Rutgers-Camden was placed in its unenviable situation after being shut down by Red Hawks senior Michael Macchia (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) for eight innings. Macchia (6-2) scattered eight hits, allowing one walk and one earned run, while striking out seven. Sophomore Taylor Parsons (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) hurled the ninth inning for his fifth save, striking out all three batters he faced.
 
Montclair State's pitching spoiled a strong effort by Raptor senior southpaw Andrew Gottstein (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg), who worked 7.1 innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and two earned runs. Gottstein struck out seven as his record fell to 3-4, despite a stellar 1.88 season ERA.
 
The Scarlet Raptors scored their lone run in the third inning on singles by senior second baseman Brett Tenuto (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and junior leftfielder Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), followed by an RBI ground out by junior rightfielder Doug Carter Jr. (Union, NJ/Union).
 
Montclair State countered with a run of its own in the bottom of the third when it loaded the bases with one out on a pair of hit batsmen, sandwiched around a walk. Junior centerfielder Phillip Scott (Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro) tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Red Hawks pushed across the winning run in the fifth following a leadoff single and a stolen base by freshman second baseman Kevin Campbell (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth). He scored on a two-out double by sophomore third baseman Joe Foote (Wallington, NJ/St. Joseph's-Montville).
 
Brooks and senior first baseman Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) had two hits apiece for the Scarlet Raptors. Senior catcher Peter Pena (Lodi, NJ/Colegio Juan Pablo Duarte, DR) had three hits for Montclair State, while Campbell and Foote added two apiece.
 
Tenuto extended his streak of reaching base safely to 25 games, the longest on the team this season.