Box Score
EWING, N.J. – William Paterson (17-14-1, 5-7 NJAC) lost a 10-0 decision at The College of New Jersey (20-8, 7-5 NJAC) April 25, falling two games out of the final spot in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Baseball Tournament with six games remaining.
Sophomore Robert Graber threw his first career complete-game shutout. The right-hander (3-1) limited the Pioneers to seven hits over nine innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out six.
The bottom third of TCNJ's line-up was productive, accounting for six of the Lions' 10 hits and crossing home plate five times. Senior Anthony Palmiotto led the way, going 3-for-4 on the day, scoring twice and driving in a run. Freshman Joe Dispoto had a pair of hits and two runs-batted-in, while sophomore Andrew Priece had a base hit, walked twice, and scored two runs.
The Lions scored the only run they ended up needing in the first, but took complete control of the game with six runs in the second. Back-to-back singles off the bats of sophomore Nick Cifelli and Priece got things rolling before Palmiotto stroked a base hit to left-center to score Cifelli. After Dispoto drew a walk, senior Jason Zegarski and Jimmy Ruzich each took free passes to force in runs. Sophomore Scott Kelly then scored on a pass ball, and catcher Mike Galeotafiore singled to right field to knock in a pair, giving TCNJ a 7-0 lead.
Galeotafiore stayed hot, collecting two hits and driving in three runs. Graber only permitted one base runner to reach third base when WP loaded the bases in the seventh with a pair of singles and a hit batsmen. But, Graber induced a groundout to first to end the threat and keep the shutout intact.
Sophomore
Scott Hansen (Saddle Brook, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) had two hits for the Pioneers. Sophomore
James Young (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) took the loss (3-2), giving up seven runs (six earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. Five relievers combined for five hits and three runs allowed.
The Pioneers will play at Rutgers-Newark Thursday, April 28, at 3:30 p.m.
