CAMDEN, N.J. (May 7, 2025) – The sixth-seeded Rutgers University-Camden baseball team tied its season-high total with 23 hits and produced its third-highest total of runs as it defeated second-seeded Rowan University, 19-7, here Wednesday in the winners' bracket final of the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs.
 
The victory moves the Scarlet Raptors (28-15) into the NJAC championship round, while the Profs (31-9) drop into the losers' bracket final.
 
In Wednesday's losers' bracket game played in Union, third-seeded The College of New Jersey eliminated top-seeded Kean University, 9-1.
 
The results set up a two-game schedule on Friday, hosted by the Scarlet Raptors in Camden. At 11 a.m., Rowan will play TCNJ for the right to advance to the finals, where they would have to defeat Rutgers-Camden twice. The first game will be held on Friday at 2:30 p.m., with a winner-take-all game scheduled for Saturday if necessary.
 
The win lifted the Scarlet Raptors into the NJAC finals for only the second time. They lost to Kean in the 2015 championship round.
 
Second-seeded Rowan, ranked 13th nationally in the D3baseball.com Top 25 poll and 16th in the ABCA Division III Top 30 poll,  brought a 13-game winning streak into Wednesday's game, which started after their 20-12 loss against Rutgers-Camden on April 14. That was one of the two times the Scarlet Raptors scored 20 runs this season, with the other being on March 12, when they beat Rosemont College, 20-3, and established their season high of 23 hits, which they tied Wednesday.
 
Rutgers-Camden graduate starter Ethan Carpenter (7-2) worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning with a line out and a pop out to second base. After that, the Scarlet Raptor offense took over against Rowan senior starter Zach Coluccio, who suffered his first loss of the season to drop his record to 7-1.
 
The Raptors scored twice in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore designated hitter Austin Dubler drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. One out later, he scored on a single to center field by freshman left fielder Ryan Joseph. Graduate first baseman Jack Murphy and senior third baseman Ryan Nutley both singled to load the bases and sophomore right fielder Brandon Petrick plated another run on a fielder's choice.
 
Rutgers-Camden scored in each of the first four innings, including five-run frames in the second and fourth innings and a four-run inning in the third. The second-inning explosion featured five hits, including a two-run home run from Murphy, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs in the game. His six total bases pushed him to 304 for his career and his four at bats gave him 600 for his career. He becomes only the third player in program history to reach 300 total bases and 600 at bats. His four RBIs also pushed him to 49 for the season, four shy of tying the program's single-season record. His home run increased his program career record to 23.
 
Junior second baseman Frankie Romond started the scoring in the second inning with an RBI single and Joseph followed with a two-run single, setting the stage for Murphy's home run. Joseph finished the day 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBIs. Romond went 4-for-6 with three runs and two RBIs, with his four singles pushing his season total base mark to 108, six shy of tying the single-season program mark.
 
Later in the game, Romond turned his 28th double play of the season, tying the single-season record shared by C.J. Mooney (2011) and Dean Straga (2008).
 
Rowan scored three times in the top of the third, aided by a two-run single from sophomore third baseman Brayden Davis. That cut the Scarlet Raptors' lead to 7-3, but Rutgers-Camden bounced back with a four-run rally in the bottom of the third. Nutley, Petrick and junior catcher Evan Carbone had RBI singles and freshman shortstop Chris Smith drew an RBI walk.
 
In the fourth inning, six hits produced another five-run outburst, including a two-run triple by Petrick, RBI singles by Murphy and Smith and a run-scoring wild pitch.
 
Petrick finished the day going 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs and five RBIs. Nutley went 3-for-4 with a walk, one run and one RBI. The walk was his team-leading 31st of the season, one shy of the program's single-season mark. Smith, meanwhile, had a big game at the bottom of the lineup, going 3-for-5 with a walk. two runs and two RBIs.
 
The Scarlet Raptors tacked on their final three runs in the seventh inning on three hits, sparked by a leadoff single from Smith. Dubler was hit by a pitch and Romond singled home Smith, with Dubler advancing to third. One out later, Murphy's pop up into shallow right field was caught by the Profs' second baseman, but the speedy Dubler turned it into a sacrifice fly by racing home. Petrick capped the inning with an RBI single.
 
Dubler finished the game 1-for-4 with a walk but scored four runs and added a stolen base.
 
Carpenter worked 5.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and two walks. He was charged with six runs, only four earned. Coluccio worked 1.1 innings for Rowan, allowing seven hits, two walks and seven runs, six of them earned. He struck out two.
 
Freshman left fielder Damon Suriani led Rowan's 14-hit offense, going 3-for-5.