Box Score

SELINSGROVE, Penn. (March 28, 2018) – During his first three injury-riddled seasons at Rutgers University-Camden , covering a four-year span, Brandon Cornelius (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) managed to play in only 47 games and collect three home runs and 23 RBIs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors' senior right fielder is making up for lost time this season.
 
Cornelius drilled his second grand slam in his last three games, increasing his season total to five home runs, drove home four runs and scored two to power the Rutgers-Camden baseball team over Susquehanna University, 8-2, in a non-conference game.
 
It was the Scarlet Raptors' fourth straight win, raising their record to 8-4, while the River Hawks fell to 3-11.
 
Cornelius and the Scarlet Raptor offense helped to put the game away before junior southpaw Drew Zytko (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) even took the mound. The Raptors sent 12 men to the plate in a six-run inning that started harmlessly enough, with a pair of outs sandwiched around a single by sophomore catcher Tyler Travis (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional). That hit stretched Travis' season-opening hitting streak to 13 games. With two outs, sophomore left fielder John Tedeschi (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) drew a walk and junior second baseman Chris Jones (Washington Township, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) drove an RBI single through the left side of the infield. After sophomore shortstop Nolan Gerold (Merchantville, NJ/Camden Catholic) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Cornelius delivered his grand slam to left field. Cornelius also had a first-inning grand slam two games ago, against Beloit College, in the first inning of the Raptors' 7-2 win at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational March 17. His first grand slam was the first for the Scarlet Raptors since 2015.
 
Rutgers-Camden's offense kept going in the opening inning as sophomore designated hitter Wayne Jackson (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) walked ahead of singles by sophomore third baseman Matthew Stoots (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) and freshman center fielder Billy Eisler (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic). Travis added a bases-loaded walk to force home the final run of the frame.
 
Susquehanna got one run back in the bottom of the first, but the Scarlet Raptors added to their lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Jackson walked and scored on a double by Eisler. In the fourth, Cornelius walked, stole second, moved to third on Jackson's fly to right and scored on a passed ball.
 
Zytko (2-1) picked up the victory, working six innings of six-hit ball and allowing only one earned run. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter. Senior Peter Han (Millburn, NJ/Millburn) threw the seventh and eighth innings, allowing three hits, two walks and one earned run, while striking out three. Junior Vincent Sturtevant (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) finished up with a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out two.
 
Offensively, Eisler led the Raptors' 11-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with one RBI. Travis, Cornelius and Jones had two hits apiece, with Cornelius leading the way in RBIs with the four on his grand slam. Both Cornelius, pictured above, and Jackson scored two runs.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Saturday when it opens its New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule by hosting William Paterson University in an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader.