CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 21, 2026) – The DeSales University baseball team pushed across a pair of unearned runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning and scored two more times in the 11th inning before hanging on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 5-4, in the Scarlet Raptors' season opener here Saturday.
Trailing, 3-1, entering the ninth inning, DeSales freshman second baseman Kevin Brace hit an infield single and junior shortstop Owen Yoder was hit by a pitch. After an unsuccessful sacrifice attempt produced the first out at third base, freshman third baseman Alex Bersani reached on a run-scoring error and freshman catcher Dominic Berretta tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the 11th inning, Brace had a leadoff triple and Yoder walked and stole second. Freshman right fielder Collin Peacock delivered the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and Bersani added another sacrifice fly for the eventual winning run.
Rutgers-Camden attempted to rally in the bottom of the 11th after sophomore third baseman
Will Gural walked and sophomore shortstop
Chris Smith singled. Senior
Evan Carbone advanced the runners with a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt and junior right fielder
Matt McAleer drove home Gural with a ground out. DeSales junior Alex Crudder ended the game with a ground out to pick up the first win of the season for the Bulldogs (1-3).
Rutgers-Camden scored a first-inning run when junior center fielder
Jacob Watson reached on an error, stole second and scored on a two-out single by sophomore left fielder
Ryan Joseph. The Raptors added a pair of runs in the third when Watson singled, stole second and scored when an infield single by junior third baseman
Austin Dubler was thrown away. Dubler scored on a single by sophomore designated hitter
Jake Slusarski.
That lead held up behind the pitching of sophomore southpaw
Danny Torres, who struck out six and allowed five hits and one unearned run in his five innings of work. The Bulldogs tied the game in the ninth with a pair of unearned runs off junior
D.J. Juliano.
Crudder (1-0) picked up the win for DeSales with four innings of three-hit ball. He walked one, struck out five and allowed one earned run. Senior
Dylan Oliver took the loss in relief.
A pair of seniors, left fielder Bobby Dingell and designated hitter Shane Anhalt, joined Brace with two hits apiece for the Bulldogs. Watson, Dubler and Smith had two hits apiece for the Scarlet Raptors.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Gwynedd Mercy University at 3:30 p.m.
