CAMDEN, N.J. (March 1, 2022) – Last season was a banner year for the York College of Pennsylvania baseball team and, if their opening-day performance is any indication, the Spartans should have another fine season in 2022.
 
York exploded for four runs in the top of the fourth inning to wipe out a one-run deficit and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 8-4, in a non-conference game here Tuesday.
 
The loss was the first of the year for the Scarlet Raptors, who swept a season-opening doubleheader against SUNY-Oneonta on Sunday. For York, it was an opening-day win in its attempt to provide an encore to its 2021 season, when it went 28-10 and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored a quick run in the bottom of the first inning when senior shortstop Jesse Gerdes worked a one-out walk after falling behind on the count, 0-2. Junior catcher Jake Guglielmi had an infield single and junior first baseman Jack Murphy plated Gerdes with a single to center field.
 
Sophomore southpaw Zachary Cerveny made that run stand up over the first three innings, hurling one-hit shutout ball. In the fourth inning, however, the dangerous York offense collected four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batter. Sparking the attack were a pair of pre-season All-Americans, shortstop Austin Denlinger and first baseman Jack Barry. Denlinger opened the frame with his first of two doubles in the game. He scored the tying run when Barry singled and advanced to second on the throw home. A single by senior second baseman Joe Capobianco and a walk to junior third baseman Brendan Martin loaded the bases. One out later, junior catcher Brian Jakubek walked to plate the go-ahead run and senior left fielder Joey Ricciardi was hit by a pitch, forcing home another run. Senior third baseman Craig Wiley capped the rally with the first of his two sacrifice flies to left field in the game.
 
York plated three more runs in the sixth on three doubles, including a two-run double by Ricciardi. The Scarlet Raptors got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame, sparked by a leadoff single from junior third baseman Connor Van Dine. Van Dine, who is hitting .625 through the first three games of the season, went to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a grounder to the right side by senior designated hitter R.J. McGettigan. He scored on a ground out by sophomore center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics.
 
A double by Denlinger and an RBI single by Barry gave York another run in the seventh inning before the Scarlet Raptors attempted a comeback. Rutgers-Camden loaded the bases in the eighth inning on a bunt single by Van Dine, an infield single by Uzdanovics and a walk to pinch-hitter Francisco Andino. An infield single by junior second baseman Danny Vazquez plated the run.
 
Rutgers-Camden again loaded the bases in the ninth inning but came away with only one run. Freshman catcher Andrew Brown opened the frame with a single. One out later, senior left fielder Garrett Warner singled and Van Dine was hit by a pitch. Salazar, who stayed in the game as the designated hitter, walked to force home a run before the Spartans ended the game with a double play.
 
Barry went 3-for-5 with one run and two RBIs to lead the York attack, while Denlinger had two doubles and two runs. Capobianco also collected two hits. Ricciardi went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and Wiley had two RBIs with his pair of sacrifice flies.
 
Senior A.J. Vincenzi, the second of five York pitchers, worked two scoreless innings of three-hit ball to earn the win. Cerveny took the loss, working 3.2 innings and allowing four hits, two walks and four earned runs.
Offensively for the Scarlet Raptors, Van Dine went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Uzdanovics went 3-for-5 with one RBI. Vazquez, Guglielmi and Brown added two hits apiece, with Vazquez adding one RBI.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Thursday when it hosts Immaculata University at 3 p.m.