MONTCLAIR, N.J. (May 2, 2023) – On the last day of the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season, the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team headed up to Montclair State University needing only one win to clinch a spot in the NJAC playoffs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors didn't get that win.
 
Montclair State swept Rutgers-Camden, 8-6 and 9-3 here Tuesday as the Red Hawks climbed up the NJAC standings to earn the third playoff seed with a 12-6 conference record.
 
Rutgers-Camden, meanwhile, fell to 8-10 in the NJAC and into a three-way tie for sixth place with Ramapo College and Stockton University. Since the Raptors posted a combined record of 1-3 against the other two teams, losing two games to Stockton and splitting a doubleheader with Ramapo, they were eliminated from the playoff mix. Ramapo also was eliminated, despite splitting with both other teams. Stockton, with a huge doubleheader win on the last day against Rutgers-Newark, earned the sixth and final playoff seed with a 3-1 combined record against the other two teams.
 
The Raptors finished the season with a 22-18 record overall. The Red Hawks advanced to the playoffs with a 25-9 overall record.
   
The Red Hawks used a pair of four-run innings to overcome Rutgers-Camden leads of 2-0 and 6-4 on their way to the win. The toughest one to take came in the bottom of the sixth inning after the Raptors had scored three times in the top of the sixth to take a 6-4 lead.
 
After tying the game on an error and an RBI single by senior center fielder Ryan McKenna, the Red Hawks took the lead for good on a two-run home run by senior first baseman Sam Angelo.
 
That rally overcame Rutgers-Camden's three-run inning in the top of the sixth when the Scarlet Raptors took advantage of four walks, a single by freshman right fielder Jacob Watson and a sacrifice fly by junior center fielder Auggie Uzdanovics. Both sophomore third baseman Andrew Brown and senior designated hitter Jack Murphy had RBI walks in the frame.
 
Camden scored twice in the top of the first inning, only to watch Montclair State come back with four unearned runs in the bottom of the frame.
 
Angelo, senior second baseman freshman right fielder Zach Sterns and senior shortstop Jason Moore had two RBIs apiece for the Red Hawks, while senior second baseman Miles Feaster went 3-for-5.
 
Rutgers-Camden received two hits apiece from Watson, sophomore left fielder Frankie Romond and sophomore first baseman Diego Salazar.
 
Murphy, who started the game on the mound before serving as the designated hitter, drilled a solo home run in the fifth inning when Rutgers-Camden cut its deficit to 4-3. It was his fifth home run of the season and the 16th of his career, tying for fourth place on the program's all-time list with Gerry Gatelein (1993-96). Both Murphy and Romond had two RBIs apiece.
   
The Red Hawks broke open a scoreless game with back-to-back four-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
In the fifth, Montclair State used five consecutive hits after the first two batters were retired. Freshman designated hitter Matteo Pasculli capped the frame with a two-run single. In the sixth inning, both McKenna and Feaster had two-run singles.
 
The Scarlet Raptors broke the Red Hawks' shutout bid in the seventh inning on a walk to Murphy and an RBI single by senior catcher Jake Guglielmi. They added an unearned run in the eighth on an error, a wild pitch and a passed ball, and added their final run in the ninth on bac-to-back doubles by Salazar and Guglielmi.
 
Montclair State closed out its scoring with a run in the bottom of the eighth.
 
McKenna went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs for Montclair State, while Feaster had two hits, one run and three RBIs.
 
Guglielmi went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Scarlet Raptors. Salazar was 2-for-4 with one run scored.