Box Score

EWING, N.J. (April 6, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team aced a huge test in the rugged New Jersey Athletic Conference over the past two days, and as a result, the Scarlet Raptors remain the lone undefeated team in the NJAC.
 
Senior righty Carter Fichter (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) tossed a six-hit shutout over nationally-ranked The College of New Jersey here Friday as Rutgers-Camden edged the Lions, 1-0. The win comes on the heels of a 3-1 victory over TCNJ in Camden on Thursday, lifting the Scarlet Raptors to 12-5 overall and 4-0 in the NJAC.
 
Rutgers-Camden has won eight straight games, tying the program's second-longest winning streak ever, set in 2005 and tied again on April 19-29, 2014. The longest winning streak in program history is 17, coming in the first 17 games of the 2002 season (Feb. 28-March 29).
 
The win also moved the Raptors to within two victories of their longest NJAC winning streak, a mark they could tie if they can sweep Rutgers-Newark in a doubleheader Saturday in Newark. The Scarlet Raptors had six-game NJAC winning streaks in both 2002 and 2003. They also won five straight NJAC games on five occasions.
 
TCNJ, which is ranked No. 10 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Top 30 and No. 14 in the NCBWA/D3baseball.com division III poll, fell to 12-4 overall and 2-2 in the NJAC with the back-to-back losses against the Scarlet Raptors. The Lions had entered the two-game series with an 11-game winning streak.
 
Fichter had to be sharp to win the pitching duel with TCNJ junior righty Michael Fischer. Both pitchers hurled a complete game, with Fichter raising his record to 4-1 in his six-hitter, walking two and striking out seven. Fischer (2-2) allowed seven hits, one walk and the one earned run. He struck out eight.
 
The Scarlet Raptors scored the only run of the game off Fischer in the fourth inning. Freshman first baseman R.J. Concepcion (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) hit a one-out single to left and raced to third when senior right fielder Brandon Cornelius (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) doubled down the left field line. After a fielder's choice caught Concepcion at the plate, sophomore shortstop Nolan Gerold (Merchantville, NJ/Camden Catholic) plated Cornelius with a clutch, two-out single to center.
 
Fichter's biggest jam came in the first inning when the Lions loaded the bases on a pair of two-out singles and a walk. He worked out of the jam with a swinging strikeout. He ended up stranding nine runners on base in the game.
 
Cornelius, Gerold and junior second baseman Chris Jones (Washington Township, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) had two hits apiece for the Raptors. Gerold, pictured above, collected the lone RBI.
 
The Scarlet Raptors will play a conference doubleheader at Rutgers-Newark Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. (weather permitting). They return home Sunday for a non-conference 1 p.m. game against Stevens Institute of Technology.