Box Score

MESA, Ariz. – Senior Wayne Poppe's (Sloatsburg, N.J./Suffern) grand slam in the eighth inning helped lead the William Paterson baseball team (6-3-1) to an 11-10 victory against Luther (2-2) March 18 in Mesa, Ariz.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Poppe blasted his first home run of the season, and his second as a Pioneer, as part of a seven-run eighth inning that gave the Pioneers an 11-9 lead.

William Paterson took the early lead with four runs in the top of the second, but Luther responded with a score in the bottom half of the inning, followed by five runs in the fourth, a single score in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to own a 9-4 advantage.

Freshman Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) was 2-for-4 with two runs and a pair of RBI, hitting his first career home run in the eighth inning. Senior Ted King (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor South) was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Pioneers.

Junior Steve Schlitzer (West New York, N.J./Memorial) started on the hill for William Paterson, allowing five hits and six earned runs in 4.0 innings. Junior Steve VandeVrede (Lincoln Park, N.J./Pequannock) gave up two earned runs during the next two innings, followed by senior Christian Miranda (Bogota, N.J./Bergen Catholic), who picked up the win with 1.1 innings of relief, surrendering three hits and an earned run. Senior Mike Irwin (North Haledon, N.J./Manchester Regional) earned his first save of the spring, and second of his career, striking out three hitters in 1.2 innings of work.

The Pioneers were scheduled to return to Wayne March 17, but are still in Arizona due to a winter storm that swept up the East Coast on March 16. William Paterson was able to add an unscheduled game against Luther, and the two teams faced off at Mesa Community College.