WAYNE, N.J. (March 26, 2021) – The first victory of the season has been an elusive one for the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team.
Facing a strong William Paterson University team for the third time in a week, the Scarlet Raptors dropped an 11-3 decision here Friday to fall to 0-4 on the season. Paterson improved to 7-2.
The games don't count in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings, as the NJAC competition begins April 3.
The host team scored single runs in both the first and third innings behind RBIs from senior first baseman Carson Weis. He produced a run with a fielder's choice in the opening frame and had a RBI single in the third.
William Paterson broke the game open with four runs in the fourth, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from junior catcher Steve Yelin. The Pioneers added five more runs in the sixth, which featured a two-run double by senior shortstop Matt Ferrara and a two-run home run by Yelin.
Yelin and Ferrara both had three hits on the day, with Yelin collecting five RBIs and Ferrara adding three. The Pioneers finished with 14 hits off five Rutgers-Camden pitchers.
The Scarlet Raptors, meanwhile, were shut out on four hits during a six-inning stint by sophomore right-hander Darmany Rivas (2-0). Rivas walked one and struck out seven.
Rutgers-Camden broke Paterson's shutout bid in the seventh after Rivas had left the game. An infield throwing error and a passed ball set up a RBI ground out by senior pinch-hitter
Mike Lavenia.
The Raptors added their final two runs in the eighth inning on four hits, sparked by a single from freshman catcher
Nick Sylvester and a double from junior
Jesse Gerdes, who played both catcher and shortstop in the game. Those hits set the stage for RBI singles from senior left fielder
Wayne Jackson and freshman third baseman
Augie Uzdanovics. The singles by Sylvester and Uzdanovics were the first hits of their collegiate careers.
For the game, Gerdes went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Sylvester, Jackson and Uzdanovics all went 1-for-1, with Sylvester scoring a run. Jackson and Uzdanovics both drove home one run.
Rutgers-Camden plays another NJAC opponent Saturday in a doubleheader that won't count in the conference standings. The Scarlet Raptors play at 14th-ranked Kean University, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
