MONTCLAIR, N.J. (May 3, 2025) – In a playoff game that featured everything from a squandered seven-run lead to a long rain delay and a nail-biting ninth inning shutdown, sixth-seed Rutgers University-Camden exploded for four runs in the 10th inning to outlast and eliminate fourth-seed Montclair State University, 12-8, on Saturday in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament.
The result keeps the Scarlet Raptors (27-15) alive in the winners' bracket and puts them into a 7 p.m. game on Sunday. They will play the victor of Sunday's 12 p.m. winners' bracket game between second seed Rowan University and third seed The College of New Jersey. That game was postponed from Saturday night due to the length of the Scarlet Raptors' rain-delayed game.
All weekend games are being played at Montclair State University.
In Saturday's first game, top seed Kean University stayed alive in a losers' bracket game by eliminating Ramapo College, 4-2. The Cougars will play at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday against the loser of the Rowan/TCNJ game.
The Scarlet Raptors appeared to be in great shape on Saturday, taking an 8-1 lead to the bottom of the sixth inning before a long rain delay shut down the action, only to restart the game in the early evening. With a fresh start and Scarlet Raptor senior starter
Chase Cooper out of the game, the Red Hawks (24-16-1) climbed back into the game, tying the contest at 8-8 with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Montclair State put the winning run on second base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning before Raptor graduate reliever
Jacob Shapley worked out of the threat with a ground out.
Rutgers-Camden junior second baseman
Frankie Romond opened the top of the 10th inning with an infield single and sophomore
Matt McAleer dropped down a sacrifice bunt in a pinch-hitting role. After graduate first baseman
Jack Murphy was intentionally walked, a wild pitch moved up the runners. Senior third baseman
Ryan Nutley and sophomore right fielder
Brandon Petrick followed with RBI singles and senior center fielder
Steven Shaffer added a bunt single to drive home Nutley. After junior catcher
Evan Carbone singled to load the bases, a wild pitch scored Petrick with the fourth run of the inning.
Shapley shut down the Red Hawks in order in the 10th inning on a pair of grounders and a line drive, all to Romond at second base. Shapley (4-2) earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks, while striking out three.
Cooper cruised through the first five innings, allowing only four hits, a walk and one run, while striking out four. By that time, Rutgers-Camden had built a 3-1 lead, with Murphy collecting an RBI single in the first inning and then hitting a record-breaking solo home run in the third inning down the left field line. The homer was the 22nd of his stellar career, breaking the tie he shared for the program's all-time record with Brian Murphy (2001-04). The Raptors added a run in the fourth on an RBI single from freshman shortstop
Chris Smith.
Before the rain came, Rutgers-Camden seemingly put the game out of reach with a five-run top of the sixth inning, which included five hits and a run-scoring error. Smith and freshman left fielder
Ryan Joseph both had RBI singles in the inning, while Nutley hit a two-run double.
The Red Hawks started their comeback when the game resumed, scoring single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before tying the game with a five-run eighth inning. They took advantage of an error, four walks and three hits, including a two-run single from junior left fielder Marcus Johnson.
Nutley finished the day going 4-for-6 with one run and three RBIs for the Scarlet Raptors. Smith was 3-for-4 with one run and two RBIs, while sophomore designated hitter
Austin Dubler went 3-for-6 with one run scored and Shaffer was 3-for-6 with two runs and one RBI. Murphy went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, including his record-setting home run, while Carbone was 2-for-4. Romond went 2-for-7 with three runs scored.
