CAMDEN, N.J. (February 27, 2025) – The Widener University baseball team collected back-to-back doubles in the ninth inning to break a tie score and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 9-8, here Thursday.
 
The loss was the Scarlet Raptors' first of the season after opening with three straight wins, while Widener evened its record at 2-2.
 
With one out in the ninth inning of an 8-8 game, junior second baseman Ryan Bauerle ripped a double to left field. He came home to score the eventual winning run when sophomore shortstop Sean Burke doubled to right field.
 
The tie-breaking run capped a strange game in which both teams battled to an 8-8 tie through four innings before the offenses were shut down until the ninth. Widener scored all eight of its runs in the first three innings, with junior first baseman Kevin Bukowski hitting a two-run home run in the first inning and junior catcher Brendan Raven adding a two-run homer in the second inning. Widener's four-run third inning was capped by a three-run home run from Burke, who finished the day 2-for-5 with one run and four RBIs.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored once in the bottom of the first inning after a leadoff single and a stolen base from junior left fielder Jacob Watson. He came around to score on an infield throwing error.
 
In the second inning, senior third baseman Ryan Nutley reached on a leadoff error and scored on a triple by senior shortstop Billy Richards. Sophomore right fielder Brandon Petrick followed with an RBI single.
 
The Scarlet Raptors matched Widener's four-run third inning with a four-spot of their own, aided by four walks, two hits and a hit batsman. Nutley collected an RBI when he was hit by a pitch, Richards walked to force home another run and Petrick capped the rally with a two-run single.
 
Rutgers-Camden finally finished its climb back from an 8-3 deficit when it tied the score in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior center fielder Steven Shaffer doubled, moved up on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by graduate student designated hitter Jack Murphy.
 
Following Burke's home run, a combination of Rutgers-Camden pitchers Ricky Snyder, Sean Glenn, Dylan Oliver and Joey Rappaport shut down the Widener offense until the ninth, when the Pride finally scored off Rappaport. The Scarlet Raptors were aided by a pair of stellar defensive plays on a diving catch in right field by Petrick in the fifth inning and an even better play by Petrick in the eighth when he turned a potential sacrifice fly into a double play at the plate with a strong throw and a great catch and tag by junior catcher Evan Carbone.
 
Widener finished with 12 hits, with Bauerle, Burke and Raven collecting two apiece. Junior John Najdek (1-0) picked up the win with two perfect innings, striking out one. Junior Ethan Lytle worked a scoreless ninth inning for the save, allowing only one runner when he hit Watson.
 
Petrick went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Scarlet Raptors, while Shaffer was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Richards was 1-for-3 with one run and two RBIs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to action on Saturday when they host Swarthmore College at 12 p.m.