KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 18, 2019) – Ripon College senior left fielder Joey Garza hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning to break a 2-2 tie and lead the Red Hawks over Rutgers University-Camden, 3-2, at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Monday.
The victory was the first of the season for Ripon (Ripon, Wisconsin), which improves to 1-4. The Scarlet Raptors fall to 3-4.
In a marathon three-hour, 45-minute game that featured 18 hits, nine pitchers and 12 innings, the game was tied at 2-2 since the Scarlet Raptors scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the top of the 12th, Ripon senior catcher Michael Barnes hit a one-out single and advanced to third on a single by senior second baseman Nick Taranto. Barnes scored on Garza's sacrifice fly to center field.
The Raptors scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after junior right fielder
Wayne Jackson hit a one-out single to center field. Freshman first baseman
R.J. McGettigan followed with a single, but Jackson was thrown out on the bases. McGettigan advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a double by sophomore shortstop
Mike Paciocco.
Ripon scored a pair of runs in the seventh inning, one of them unearned, to grab a 2-1 lead, but the Raptors tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, sparked by a leadoff single from junior second baseman
John Guccione. He advanced on a sacrifice by freshman center fielder
Brett Yurgin and a single by junior catcher
Tyler Travis. Sophomore left fielder
R.J. Concepcion plated Guccione with a sacrifice fly to right field.
The Scarlet Raptors worked seven pitchers in the game, including a stellar start from junior
Mike Calabrese. He worked five scoreless innings of three-hit ball, walking three and striking out one.
Rutgers-Camden collected 10 of the game's 18 hits, with Travis,
pictured above, and Jackson both going 2-for-4.
Scarlet Raptors resume their play at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Tuesday morning in Kissimmee, facing Anderson University (Anderson, Indiana).
