MAHWAH, N.J. (April 8, 2023) – Senior second baseman Danny Vazquez collected his 100th career hit in an opening-game loss, but the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team bounced back to split a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader with Ramapo College here Saturday.
 
Ramapo won the opening game, 9-4, before Rutgers-Camden took the nightcap, 3-1.
 
It was the third straight series split for the Scarlet Raptors to start the NJAC season, leaving the Scarlet Raptors with a 3-3 conference record and a 16-9 mark overall. Ramapo stands at 14-9 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to play Tuesday, hosting Penn State-Abington in a 6 p.m. non-conference game.
   
The Roadrunners broke open a tight 3-2 lead with five runs on five hits in the fourth inning, with senior shortstop Tyler Guadagno driving home the first two runs on a single. Guadagno, who went 4-for-4 with one run scored, added his third RBI of the game with a fifth-inning double to power the 13-hit Ramapo attack.
 
The teams traded single runs in both of the first two innings, but Ramapo broke the 2-2 tie in the third on an RBI single by junior first baseman Will Egner.
 
Sophomore Nick Danbrowney (4-2) earned the win, working five innings and allowing five hits and three runs, two of them earned. He walked two and struck out five. Freshman James Pazdera collected his first save with four innings of one-hit ball, walking four and striking out seven. He allowed one unearned run.
 
Sophomore Daniel Robeson (3-2) took the loss, working 3.1 innings and allowing nine hits, eight runs (six earned) and five walks. He struck out four.
 
Vazquez led the Raptors' six-hit attack, going 2-for-5 and scoring one run. His sixth-inning single down the right field line was the 100th hit of his collegiate career. He became the 40th player in program history to reach 100 hits and he added hit number 101 in the nightcap.
   
The second game was a terrific pitching duel between Raptor senior Ethan Carpenter and Roadrunner sophomore Jack Martin. Both pitchers worked seven shutout innings before the Roadrunners broke through with a run against Carpenter in the eighth. By that time, however, Rutgers-Camden had scored three times in the top of the eighth off the Ramapo bullpen.
 
Freshman catcher Evan Carbone, who played a key role in several late-inning rallies this week, opened the inning with a leadoff single and stole second. Freshman right fielder Jacob Watson had an infield single and stole second before Vazquez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore first baseman Frankie Romond also was hit by a pitch, forcing home a run and, one out later, senior designated hitter Jack Murphy plated another run as a hit batsman. Junior center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics singled home the final run of the frame.
 
The Roadrunners opened the bottom of the frame with a pair of hits off Carpenter, bringing his strong outing to a close. Freshman Gavin Cunard closed out the threat, allowing only a sacrifice fly.
 
Carpenter hurled seven-plus innings, allowing six hits, one walk and one earned run. He struck out two while raising his record to 4-1. Cunard earned his first save with two shutout innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out one.
 
Martin allowed only two hits in his seven shutout innings for Ramapo. He walked two and struck out seven. Junior Andrew Case (0-1) allowed all three runs in the eighth inning without retiring a batter, hitting a pair of batters and allowing two hits.