READING, Penn. (April 25, 2023) – The Alvernia College baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the lead and held on for a 5-4 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a non-conference game here Tuesday.
Alvernia improves to 25-12, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 21-15.
After the Scarlet Raptors overcame a 2-1 deficit with a three-run sixth inning, the Golden Wolves scored once in the bottom of the sixth to cut the gap to 4-3. Senior right fielder Thomas Faggioni hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh for Alvernia, shortly after graduate student designated hitter Nick Nutile set the stage with a n infield single.
Rutgers-Camden took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when senior catcher
Jake Guglielmi reached on an error, stole second and scored on a single by junior third baseman
Dustin Bellis. Alvernia bounced back in the bottom of the frame on a single by senior third baseman Brandon Smith and a two-run homer by junior catcher Jason Lind.
The score remained 2-1 in favor of Alvernia until the top of the sixth, when senior designated hitter sparked a big inning for the Scarlet Raptors with a one-out single. One out later, Guglielmi walked and sophomore left fielder
Chris Bonafiglia tied the game with an RBI single. Bellis walked to load the bases and consecutive walks to junior shortstop
Giacomo Antonicello and freshman right fielder
Jacob Watson forced home two more runs.
Alvernia got an unearned run back in the bottom of the sixth before taking the lead for good in the seventh.
Rutgers-Camden managed six hits off a parade of seven Alvernia pitchers, with nobody getting more than one. Antonicello drew three of the Raptors' seven walks.
Four Rutgers-Camden pitchers combined to allow nine hits, two walks and five runs, four of them earned. Junior southpaw
Chase Cooper worked six innings, allowing six hits, one walk and three runs (two earned). He struck out three. Freshman
Scotty Price (0-1) took the loss, allowing two hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Thursday when it hosts The College of New Jersey in a key New Jersey Athletic Conference game at 3:30 p.m.
