Box Score

DALLAS, Penn. (April 30, 2017) – For 6-1/2 innings, the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team was locked in a tight battle with nationally-ranked Misericordia University in a non-conference makeup game here Sunday.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, however, the Cougars exploded for six runs on their way to a 15-6 victory.
 
Misericordia, which was ranked No. 25 in last week's ABCA Division III Coaches' Poll and received 24 votes toward the D3baseball.com Top 25, improves to 24-11. Rutgers-Camden falls to 14-23.
 
The Scarlet Raptors are 9-12 this year against teams that have appeared in one or both of the national polls during the season.
 
Clinging to a 7-6 lead, Misericordia collected six hits in its six-run seventh inning, including a three-run home run from junior designated hitter Cole Bixler (York, PA/West York) and a two-run homer from sophomore catcher Santo Guinta (Ridgefield, NJ/Ridgefield).
 
The Cougars added two more runs in the eighth inning on a RBI double by sophomore rightfielder Steve Weisensee (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson), who later scored on a wild pitch. Weisensee had a huge day for the Cougars, collecting a third of the hits in their 15-hit attack by going 5-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and three RBIs. Bixler went 2-for-3 with one run and four RBIs, while Guinta was 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs.
 
The teams traded second-inning runs before the Scarlet Raptors took the lead with three unearned runs in the third inning. Senior catcher Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) had a run-scoring single to score freshman designated hitter Matthew Stoots (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton), who had opened the frame with a double. Later in the inning, freshman third baseman Tyler Travis (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional) ripped a two-run single.
 
Misericordia countered with four runs in its half of the third inning, capped by RBI singles from Weisensee and Bixler.
 
In the fourth, senior rightfielder Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) opened the frame with a single for the Scarlet Raptors. He stole second and scored on a single by sophomore second baseman Chris Jones (Washington Township, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep). Jones eventually scored on an error.
 
Misericordia took the lead for good with a two-run fifth inning, with a pair of runs scoring on wild pitches.
 
Theckston went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI as he raised his career hit total to 173, three shy of Gerry Gatelein's (1993-96) fourth-place total on the career list. Theckston also was playing in his 150th career game, second only to Brian Murphy, who had 154 games played from 2001-04.
 
Ellin, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with one run and one walk. The walk gave him 58 for his career, moving him into 10th place on the program's all-time list by himself. He had been tied with Adam Foster (1992-94) for 10th place.
 
Travis also had a two-hit game, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
 
In the ninth inning, the Raptors received the first collegiate hits from a pair of freshmen, as Mike Lavenia (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) and Alex Matt (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) both had pinch-hit singles.
 
Rutgers-Camden closes its season Wednesday, hosting York College of Pennsylvania in a 3:30 p.m. makeup game.