Box Score

EWING, N.J. – William Paterson (16-10-1, 5-4 NJAC) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but The College of New Jersey (17-8, 4-5 NJAC) battled back for a 5-3 home baseball win April 18.

The Pioneers took advantage of some shaky defensive play by TCNJ to put a three-spot on the board in the second. Freshman catcher Ken O'Donnell (Teaneck, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) singled to start the inning, advanced to second on a throwing error, and came around to score on the second error of the inning. Senior Marc Palestina (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) put down a perfect squeeze to plate Scott Ptaszynski (Wharton, N.J./Morris Hills), and freshman A.J. Flores (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) delivered a run-scoring single, giving WP a 3-0 advantage.

Joe Dispoto's RBI-single plated Nick Cifelli and made it a 3-1 score after four innings. A smart base running play by Jimmy Ruzich led to a two-out, three-run rally in the fifth for the Lions. With Ruzich on first and one out, catcher Mike Galeotafiore hit a hard groundball to the second baseman. Ruzich stopped in his tracks, forcing the infielder to flip to second and allowing Galeotafiore to beat the throw at first to keep the inning alive. Michael Murphy singled to right and then Cifelli drilled a two-run double over the right fielder's head. Sophomore Andrew Priece followed with a groundball to short that pulled the first baseman off the bag. Cifelli never stopped running and came around to score, giving TCNJ a 4-3 lead.

The Lions tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. Murphy singled to right and then was running on the pitch when Cifelli ripped a single to right. The ball was mishandled in the outfield, allowing Murphy to score from first.

Flores and O'Donnell were both 2-for-4 for the Pioneers at the plate. Junior Bryce Warden (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) suffered the loss (4-1), allowing five runs (four earned) and 10 hits in 7.0 innings. Freshman Josh Jensen (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) allowed one hit in 0.2 inning, and junior Steve Coral (Totowa, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional) recorded the final out.

Connor Henderson gave up three unearned runs and four hits in 8.0 innings (5-2). Joe Marchitelli struck out the last two hitters and captured his 11th career save. Five different Lions each had two hits, including Cifelli, who was 2-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBI.

William Paterson will play at Drew Tuesday, April 19, at 3:30 p.m.