Box Score 

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Juniors Marc Palestina (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) and Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) each had three hits, a RBI and one run scored to help the William Paterson baseball team (8-7, 1-0 NJAC) rally from a 4-1 deficit to defeat host New Jersey City (8-11-1, 0-1 NJAC), 8-4, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) season opener for both teams March 27.

The Gothic Knights forged a 4-1 lead thanks to two-run efforts during both the second and fourth innings, but the Pioneers were far from done at the plate, scoring a combined seven runs during their next four at-bats.

A Guadango single up the middle, followed by a John Elia (Emerson, N.J./Pascack Valley) single and an error by the NJCU right fielder, made it a 4-2 score during the top of the fifth. In the sixth, Palestina hit a two-out single to third base, and Anthony Dorio's (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) triple to right-center sent him home, cutting the lead to one. Senior Derek Koppinger (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional) kept the inning alive with a walk, bringing Guadango to the plate. The all-American delivered a single back up the middle to score Dorio and tie the contest at 4-4.

William Paterson took control of the game with a seventh-inning, three-run outburst. With the bases loaded and one out, Palestina squeezed home sophomore Mike Moran (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Twp.), who evaded the tag of the NJCU catcher, and two batters later Koppinger knocked in freshman Rob Somers (West Long Branch, N.J./Shore Regional) and senior Don Hays (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) with another base-hit back up the middle, claiming a 7-4 edge for the visitors.

WP tacked on a final run in the eighth, when senior Will Courter (Roseland, N.J./West Essex) hit a lead-off triple and Elia singled him home.

Koppinger was 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Courter was 2-for-5 with a triple and run scored.

Junior Scott Zirul (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) threw 7.0 innings as the starter, allowing four runs and 10 hits to improve to 3-1. Freshman J.J. Moran (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) pitched the final 2.0 scoreless innings and gave up three hits.

Kristopher Brus, Jorge Pardo and Rob Gonzalez each had three hits for New Jersey City. Randy Parish suffered the loss in relief (0-1), allowing a run in 0.2 inning of work.

The Pioneers will host Ramapo in a NJAC doubleheader Saturday, March 28, at 12:00 p.m.