AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 19, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team can't seem to escape the rain, even on days it actually is able to play a game.
The Scarlet Raptors, who were supposed to play an 11 a.m. game against Anderson University Tuesday in Kissimmee at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, saw the game postponed by rain, delayed by five hours and switched to a different town. Anderson and Rutgers-Camden finally started play at 4:30 p.m. in Auburndale and nearly three hours later, the Ravens came away with a 6-3 victory.
It was the second straight year Anderson beat Rutgers-Camden at the RussMatt event. The Ravens, out of Anderson, Indiana, took a 10-8 decision on March 15, 2018.
Rutgers-Camden, which already has seen seven games postponed or cancelled due to inclement weather this season, almost saw another one lost before the site and time switch. Through four innings, the Scarlet Raptors held a 3-2 lead before Anderson (6-3) the game collapsed in Anderson's disastrous four-run fifth inning. That frame featured two walks, a balk, an error, a hit batsman and only one hit – a two-run double by freshman left fielder Tyler Burton.
Anderson scored single runs in the second and third innings, both of them unearned, to take a 2-0 lead off Raptor sophomore
Jaylen Paula.
Rutgers-Camden bounced back with a three-run fourth inning sparked by a leadoff double from junior left fielder
Wayne Jackson. Junior designated hitter
Matt Yanick singled Jackson to third and he scored on an infield single by freshman first baseman
R.J. McGettigan. Junior third baseman
John Guccione reached base on a fielder's choice that didn't retire anyone, loading the bases with no outs. Two outs later, the Raptors received back-to-back RBI walks to a pair of sophomores, right fielder
Billy Eisler and catcher
R.J. Concepcion.
Jackson led the Raptors' 10-hit attack with a 3-for-5 day, while scoring one run. Freshman center fielder
Brett Yurgin, senior second baseman
Chris Jones and Yanick all added two hits.
Paula,
pictured above, took the loss, his first decision of the season, while working 4-1/3 innings of three-hit ball. He walked four and struck out six, allowing five runs. Only three runs were earned.
The Scarlet Raptors have an off day on Wednesday. They resume their play at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Thursday at 11:30 a.m., playing Benedictine University (Lisle, Illinois) in Auburndale.
