CAMDEN, N.J. (April 5, 2022) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team took an early three-run lead, rode the stellar pitching of junior Jack Murphy for seven innings and weathered a late Keystone College rally as it edged the Giants, 3-2, in a non-conference game here Tuesday night.
 
The game was the first night contest played at the Scarlet Raptors' new Camden Athletic Complex field.
 
Rutgers-Camden improves to 12-9, while Keystone falls to 8-12.
 
Murphy (2-2) worked seven shutout innings, allowing eight hits and one walk, while striking out seven. In the eighth, however, Keystone mounted a threat against senior Stephen Brady aided by a single, two walks and a pair of errors that led to an unearned run. With the bases loaded and one out in a 3-1 game, junior Jared Vega entered the game and struck out the next two hitters to work out of the jam.
 
The ninth inning was just as dicey following a leadoff walk to sophomore shortstop Bobby Pokorney and a one-out walk to senior second baseman JD Barrett. Senior catcher RJ Gouldsbury ripped a shot to left field that should have tied the game, but the ball became lodged under the fence, creating a ground-rule double that sent Barrett back to third base.
 
Keystone junior center fielder Devin Reed tried to squeeze home Barrett with the tying run, but Vega made a sensational play coming off the mound. He gloved the ball and flipped it with his glove to junior catcher Jake Guglielmi, who put the tag on the sliding Barrett barely shy of the plate. A fielder's choice grounder ended the game, with junior second baseman Danny Vazquez gloving a ground ball near the bag and tagging out Reed for the final out.
 
The late-game dramatics tightened a game that the Scarlet Raptors seemed to have under control early, despite scoring only three runs. Rutgers-Camden plated a run in the first inning after junior right fielder Connor Van Dine led off the frame being hit by a pitch. Freshman third baseman Andrew Brown, who had a terrific defensive game at the hot corner, sacrificed Van Dine to second and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. One out later, he scored on a wild pitch.
 
In the second inning, senior first baseman R.J. McGettigan led off with a walk and advanced to third on a double by sophomore center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics. A ground out by Vazquez plated one run and Van Dine doubled home Uzdanovics.
 
Rutgers-Camden finished with only five hits off a pair of Keystone pitchers, while the Giants ended up with 10 hits off a trio of Scarlet Raptors.
 
Vega picked up his first save, working 1.2 innings and allowing one hit, one earned run and two walks. He struck out three.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action Thursday with a New Jersey Athletic Conference home game against Rutgers-Newark at 3:30 p.m.