GALLOWAY, N.J. (April 22, 2021) – Thursday's weather may have been cold down at Stockton University, but the bats on the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team were red hot.
 
The Scarlet Raptors pounded out 16 hits, including two big home runs, and built a huge lead before hanging on to survive a 15-12 victory in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
The victory lifts Rutgers-Camden to 7-10 overall and 6-5 in the NJAC, while Stockton falls to 6-9 and 4-7.
 
Rutgers-Camden didn't waste any time starting its offensive outburst. The Raptors opened the game with consecutive singles by junior designated hitter Jesse Gerdes, junior center fielder Brett Yurgin and senior left fielder R.J. Concepcion, with Concepcion's hit plating Gerdes. Senior first baseman Matt Yanick followed by unloading his fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field. It was the 15th homer of his Raptor career, moving him into fourth place on the program's all-time list.
 
After Stockton scored one run in the bottom of the first inning, the Scarlet Raptors countered with a pair of runs in the second, sparked by a leadoff single from sophomore shortstop Danny Vazquez. The inning also featured a hit batsman, two walks, a stolen base, a wild pitch and an error.
 
In the third inning, the Raptors sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five times, with the last four coming on a grand slam by Yurgin. With one out, senior right fielder Rob Scanlan singled, senior third baseman Thomas Gosse walked and Vazquez collected a RBI single. Gerdes followed with a single to load the bases for Yurgin's second home run of the season and the ninth of his career. It was the first Scarlet Raptor grand slam since Yanick hit one in the fifth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Ramapo College on April 28, 2019.
 
After building leads of 11-1 and 15-5, the Scarlet Raptors watched the Ospreys climb right back into the game by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning on four hits, four walks and two hit batsmen against a trio of pitchers. Stockton cut its deficit to 15-12 before junior Nick Listro worked out of the frame by getting the last two outs. Listro finished off the game, going 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, while striking out four to earn a save. The Ospreys had two runners in scoring position when Listro fanned a pinch-hitter to end the game.
 
The beneficiary of the Raptor attack was senior pitcher Mike Calabrese, who earned his first win of the season by working five innings of seven-hit ball. He walked four, struck out six and allowed five runs, four of them earned. He left the game with a 12-5 lead.
 
Gerdes, Scanlan and Vazquez had three hits apiece for the Scarlet Raptors, while Yurgin, Scanlan and Gosse all scored three runs. Yurgin and Yanick had a home run among two hits, with Yurgin collecting four RBIs with his grand slam and Yanick knocking home three runs on his home run. Vazquez added two RBIs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to Stockton on Friday for another 3:30 p.m. NJAC game.