CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 23, 2023) – The Rutgers University-Camden baseball team opened the season with its bats on fire here Thursday night.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored in every inning except the sixth as it defeated Delaware Valley University, 18-4, in a non-conference game. It was the most runs scored by the Scarlet Raptors since a 20-3 win over Immaculata University on Feb. 23, 2020, which was the first victory at Rutgers-Camden for Head Coach Ryan Kulik.
 
Delaware Valley actually took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a single by freshman third baseman Anthony Martino and a two-run home run by senior first baseman Hank Bielen. Rutgers-Camden quickly got one run back in the bottom of the frame. A leadoff walk to freshman left fielder Jacob Watson – the first of three walks he had in the game – and a single by senior second baseman Danny Vazquez set the stage for a sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Frankie Romond.
 
That was only the start of a huge day for Romond, who went 3-for-5 with eight total bases, six RBIs and three runs scored. He capped his day with back-to-back triples in the seventh and eighth innings, plating two runs in the seventh and clearing the bases in the eighth. The two triples tied a single-game program record held by several players, with the last to do it being R.J. Concepcion against Kean University on April 26, 2018.
 
The Scarlet Raptors tied the game in the second inning on a single and stolen base by junior center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics and a RBI single by sophomore right fielder Chris Bonafiglia. After the Aggies scored in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead, the Scarlet Raptors took the lead for good with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third.
 
Leading 8-4, the Raptors blew open the game with four runs in the seventh and six in the eighth. The six-run eighth featured four walks and three hits, including a RBI ground rule double by junior shortstop Giacomo Antonicello, a bases-loaded walk to Vazquez, Romond's three-run triple and a RBI single by senior pitcher/designated hitter Jack Murphy.
 
Sophomore southpaw Daniel Robeson, the second of three Raptor pitchers, earned the win with four innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run and picking off two runners at first base.
 
In addition to Romond's big day, Vazquez had three hits, two runs and four RBIs, Uzdanovics collected three hits and scored three runs, and Murphy added three RBIs on two hits and a sacrifice fly.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. game at York College in York, Pennsylvania.