Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 25, 2017) – One day after rallying for a season-opening 7-5 victory over Mitchell College, the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team was held to seven hits and one run as it dropped a tough 2-1 decision against Elmira (N.Y.) College here Saturday at the Armstrong Invitational.
 
The victory was the first of the season for the Soaring Eagles (1-2), while the Scarlet Raptors even their record at 1-1. Rutgers-Camden concludes its trip to the Armstrong Invitational on Sunday with a 2 p.m. game against host Methodist University.
 
In a stellar pitching duel between a pair of right-handers, Elmira junior Conor Bawiec (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) edged Rutgers-Camden sophomore Ian Scheidemann (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West). Bawiec hurled a complete game, striking out 10 without walking a batter. He allowed only seven hits, including a solo home run with two outs in the second inning by freshman designated hitter Matt Yanick (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) in his first collegiate at bat.
 
Scheidemann, making his first start at Rutgers-Camden after transferring from Salisbury University following his freshman season, was nearly as tough. He allowed only a pair of first-inning runs and ended up pitching seven innings, allowing 10 hits and one walk, while striking out three.
 
Freshman Matthew Stoots (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton), who made his collegiate debut as a third baseman on Friday while going 3-for-3, hurled a pair of scoreless innings to finish the game for the Scarlet Raptors. He allowed two walks and one hit, while striking out two.
 
Elmira scored all the runs Bawiec needed in the opening frame, following a leadoff double by senior rightfielder Hayden Rothenberg (Myrtle Beach, SC/Carolina Forest). Rothenberg scored on a single by junior leftfielder Jack Thistle (Pittsfield, MA/Mount Greylock Regional) and senior first baseman Dylan Bellinger (Elmira, NY/Thomas A. Edison) followed with a single. After a sacrifice by Bawiec, junior third baseman Nate Hanner (Genoa City, WI/Wilmot Union) added an RBI single.
 
Rothenberg, Bellinger and Hanner each had two hits apiece for the Soaring Eagles to account for six of the 11 Elmira hits.
 
Rutgers-Camden had only one player with multiple hits, as sophomore second baseman Chris Jones (Sewell, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) went 2-for-4. One of Jones' hits was a double, the only other extra-base hit for the Raptors besides Yanick's home run.