Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – With two out in the bottom of the ninth and the winning run aboard, junior
John Elia (Emerson, N.J./Pascack Valley) blasted a game-winning double to left-center field to give William Paterson (17-9. 7-2 NJAC) a 6-5 come-from-behind victory against visiting Kean (22-8. 6-4 NJAC) April 11.
Leading 5-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, Kean reliever Drew Campbell induced the first two Pioneer hitters into groundouts, but junior
Will Courter (Roseland, N.J./West Essex) gave WP hope with a single through the right side of the infield. A
Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) double to left-center plated Courter, making it a 5-3 game, before
Anthony Perrone (Midland Park, N.J./Bergen Catholic) drew a walk and
Vince Joyce (Franklin, N.J./Wallkill Valley) singled up the middle to fill the bases. Elia then roped his walk-off double, driving in all three runners and giving the Pioneers the dramatic victory.
Guadango was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and one RBI, while Courter was 3-for-5, sophomore
Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) was 2-for-4, and Joyce was 2-for-5 at the plate for the Pioneers.
Mike Manganiello led Kean with a pair of solo home runs, posting a 2-for-4 day. Five other Cougars each had two hits to pace the Kean offense.
William Paterson freshman
Paul Albanese (Palisades Park, N.J./Palisades Park) picked up the win in relief (1-1), allowing just one hit in 1.0 inning of work. Classmate
Chris Mongelli (Riverdale, N.J./Pompton Lakes) threw the first 8.0 innings for the Pioneers, giving up 11 hits and five runs. Andrew Cupido started on the hill for Kean (6.0 innings, seven hits, two runs, five walks, two strikeouts), and Campbell suffered the loss (4-2). He was accountable for six hits and four earned runs in 2.2 innings.
The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead during the first inning, as Perrone had his 36th RBI of the season with a single up the middle that scored senior
Dan Limone (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck).
The Cougars responded, scoring a pair of runs in the fourth. Eric Ammirata led off with a single up the middle, advanced on a Bryan Burke single and was brought home by a Derek Gianakas ground-out to second. Burke then scored when Michael Moceri singled through the left side of the infield.
Kean's lead grew by another run in the fifth inning when Manganiello blasted his first round-tripper of the day, a shot to left field that gave the Cougars a 3-1 edge.
The seventh inning saw another Manganiello home run for the Cougars, while the Pioneers drew in a run from a Perrone sacrifice fly that scored Limone, making it a 4-2 Kean lead. The Cougars tacked on a single run in the top of the eighth when a failed rundown play allowed Gianakas to scamper home from third.
William Paterson will host Rutgers-Camden for a conference doubleheader Saturday, April 12, at 12:00 p.m.
