ASTON, Penn. (April 8, 2019) – Rutgers University-Newark senior right-hander Casey Hanley shut down the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team for eight-plus innings and freshman David Vasquez wriggled out of a ninth-inning jam for his first save as the Scarlet Raiders edged the Scarlet Raptors, 3-2, in New Jersey Athletic Conference action Monday at the Maplezone Sports Institute.
 
The loss dropped the Scarlet Raptors to 10-12 overall and 3-3 in the NJAC. The victory was the first in the NJAC this season for Rutgers-Newark, which improves to 7-11 overall and 1-5 in conference play. The two teams ended up splitting their two-game regular-season series, as Rutgers-Camden posted a 17-7 win last Thursday in Newark.
 
The Scarlet Raiders took a 2-0 lead in the opening inning off Raptor junior starter Daniel Beebe, who worked the first 3-1/3 innings before leaving with an injury. Beebe (1-3) allowed three hits and two runs, one unearned, while striking out one. The first-inning runs came on two hits, an error and a sacrifice fly. Senior middle infielders Dominic and Luke Magliaro plated the runs on a double and a sacrifice fly, respectively.
 
After Beebe was forced to leave, senior Drew Zytko finished the game with an outstanding 5-2/3-inning relief effort. He allowed only two hits, one walk and an unearned run, while striking out two.
 
Rutgers-Newark scored its third run in the sixth inning on a leadoff double by Dominic Magliaro. He scored when his brother's sacrifice bunt was thrown away for an error.
 
While the Scarlet Raiders were building their 3-0 lead, Hanley (3-2) was shutting down the Scarlet Raptors, on five hits over the first six innings. One of those hits was a single to right field in the second inning by junior third baseman Matthew Stoots, giving him 100 career hits. He became the 34th player in program history to reach that milestone, while extending his hitting streak to seven games.
 
The Raptors finally broke Hanley's shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh inning. The righty, who entered the game with a 0.61 ERA, allowed three straight singles with one out as Rutgers-Camden loaded the bases on hits by junior second baseman John Guccione, sophomore right fielder Rob Scanlan and freshman center fielder Brett Yurgin, who earlier in the day was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week. Sophomore left fielder Billy Eisler followed with a bases-loaded walk to plate Guccione before the inning ended with a double play.
 
The Raptors mounted another rally in the ninth. Junior shortstop Nolan Gerold drew a leadoff walk and Guccione singled through the left side of the infield, giving him a 3-for-4 day that extended his hitting streak to seven games. Vasquez replaced Hanley and freshman Stephen Brady pinch-ran for Guccione, representing the tying run. A fielder's choice by Scanlan left runners at the corners and, one out later, Scanlan stole second base. Eisler reached on a RBI infield single down the line behind third base, plating the second run and advancing Scanlan to third before Vasquez notched the final out on a grounder to second base.
 
Hanley finished with eight-plus innings, allowing nine hits, three walks and two earned runs. He struck out two. Vasquez allowed one hit and had one strikeout in his one-inning save.
 
Senior third baseman Ryan Zucker and Dominic Magliaro collected two hits each to account for 80 percent of the Raiders' five hits in the game.
 
Rutgers-Camden had 10 hits, including three by Guccione and two apiece by Yurgin and Scanlan.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Tuesday when they play another home-away-from-home game, this time at Rowan College at Gloucester County. They face Widener University in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game.