Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (April 26, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team has been rolling up big offensive numbers at an amazing clip this season, but the Scarlet Raptors managed to outdo themselves in one big explosion here Thursday.
 
Rutgers-Camden ripped nine hits in a 10-run fourth inning and went on to roll over Kean University, 17-6, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
The Scarlet Raptors improved to 22-12 overall and 10-5 in the NJAC, while the Cougars fell to 18-19 overall and 8-7 in conference play. Both teams have three NJAC games remaining in the regular season, beginning Friday when they face off again, this time at Kean University, in a 3:30 p.m. game.
 
Leading, 3-2, Rutgers-Camden sent 15 men to the plate in its big 10-run fourth inning, collecting two walks and nine hits. Sophomore shortstop Nolan Gerold (Merchantville, NJ/Camden Catholic) and freshman center fielder Billy Eisler (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) collected two hits apiece in the frame, which was the Raptors' biggest inning since an 11-run seventh inning in a 24-3 win over Penn State-Brandywine on April 22, 2014.
 
The Scarlet Raptors' 17 runs marked the 10th time they have scored in double digits this season and their most runs since a wild 22-20 loss against Cortland State, at the time the defending national champion, on March 14, 2016.
 
Rutgers-Camden collected 20 hits on the day, its third 20-hit game of the season, including a high of 21 hits in a 16-7 win at Neumann University (April 18) and another 20-hit day in a 15-8 win over FDU-Florham (March 27).
 
The offensive onslaught was led by freshman first baseman R.J. Concepcion (Audubon, NJ/Audubon), who went 5-for-5 with three runs and six RBIs. Two of his hits were triples as he tied a program single-game record held by many players. The last two accomplish that feat was Bobby Romano in the opening game of a doubleheader against Ramapo College on April 11, 2015.
 
All that firepower was more than enough for junior ace Ian Scheidemann (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West), who worked six innings while raising his record to 7-0. He allowed six hits and three runs – two of them earned – while striking out one. He didn't walk a batter. Scheidemann, who owns a 5-0 record against NJAC opponents this season, has been so outstanding this season that the two earned runs actually raised his season ERA to an even 1.00.
 
Kean collected one run on three singles in the top of the first inning before Rutgers-Camden bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good. Eisler hit a leadoff single, was sacrificed to second by sophomore catcher Tyler Travis (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional) and scored on Concepcion's first triple of the day, a shot to left center. Senior right fielder Brandon Cornelius (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) followed with a sacrifice fly to left.
 
The Raptors added a run in the third on a single by Travis, a wild pitch and a RBI single by Concepcion, but the Cougars bounced back to make it a a3-2 game with a run in the top of the fourth. It didn't take long for the Raptors to match that run and then some.
 
Gerold opened the bottom of the fourth with a double down the left field line. Sophomore designated hitter Matt Yanick (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) reached on a field's choice on a ball hit back to the pitcher, when the Cougar tried unsuccessfully to catch Gerold off second base. A passed ball advanced both runners and sophomore third baseman Matthew Stoots (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) plated the first run with a RBI ground out.
 
Sophomore left fielder John Tedeschi (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) walked, with Yanick scoring on a wild pitch on the fourth ball. Eisler followed with a single and Travis walked to load the bases and bring an end to the outing by Kean freshman starter Daniel Chiusano, who took the loss to drop to 2-3.
 
Concepcion greeted new pitcher Dylan Colatrella with a two-run single through the right side and Cornelius followed with a RBI single to right. After a double steal, junior second baseman Chris Jones (Washington Township, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) singled home both Concepcion and Cornelius. Gerold collected his second hit of the inning with a single to center and Yanick singled to re-load the bases. Stoots plated two more runs with a single to left and, after another out, Eisler singled home the final run of the frame.
 
The Raptors added two-run innings in both the fifth and sixth, while Kean scored once more in the fifth with an unearned run and added three in the ninth.
 
Concepcion, pictured above, lifted his season batting average to .336 with his huge five-hit day, which was one hit shy of tying the program's single-game record. He also collected 17 putouts at first base, three shy of the program's single-game mark set by Keith Harris against Salisbury State on April 16, 1966.
 
A good portion of Concepcion's putouts came from Jones at second base. Jones notched 10 assists to tie the program's single-game record set by Carl Genk against Salisbury State on April 15, 1967, and later tied by Michael O'Hara against Kean on April 25, 1997.
 
Offensively, meanwhile, Eisler went 4-for-6 with three runs and one RBI in the Raptors' leadoff spot. Gerold was 3-for-4 with two runs, Cornelius was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs to stretch his current hitting streak to 11 games, Travis went 2-for-3 with three runs and Yanick was 2-for-4 with two runs.
 
Stoots and Jones each added one hit and three RBIs.