BOX SCORE (Game #1)
BOX SCORE (Game #2)

MESA, ARIZ. – The William Paterson baseball team (9-1) suffered its first loss, losing 15-1 against Johns Hopkins (6-5-2), but rallied for a 9-8 second-game victory against Kansas Wesleyan (13-10), March 20 at the Greater Phoenix Invitational.

GAME ONE
The Blue Jays strung together a walk and three singles, with the assistance of two wild pitches, to jump out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second frame. 

Junior Ryan Gibbons (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) led off the bottom of the third inning with a single, and stole second to put a runner in scoring position for William Paterson.  Senior Adam Derner's (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) double to left-center plated Gibbons, giving the Pioneers its only run of the game.

Johns Hopkins added two runs in the fifth inning, and one in the sixth to extend the lead to 6-1.  Four hits in a row sparked a three-run eighth inning for the Blue Jays, and a sixth-run ninth inning put the game away for the Blue Jays, pushing the lead to a final 15-1 score.

Junior Glenn Flora (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) suffered the loss for the Pioneers, surrendering six earned runs in 5.0 innings of work.  Freshman Joe Moran (Wharton, N.J./Morris Hills) tossed 2.1 innings, allowing three earned runs.  Freshman Mitch D'Amato (Edison, N.J./Edison) and sophomore Matt Serra (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) also saw innings in relief for the Pioneers.

Derner was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Gibbons was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

GAME TWO
In an originally scheduled seven-inning game, the Pioneers used an extra inning of play to pull out a 9-8 victory against Kansas Wesleyan (13-10).

Sophomore A.J. Flores (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) led off the eighth inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by classmate Scott Ptaszynski (Wharton, N.J./Morris Hills).  Flores scored the winning run as James Lauer (Hamilton, N.J./Pennington Prep) reached on an error by the Coyotes allowing Flores to scamper home, putting the Pioneers in front 9-8.

William Paterson used back-to-back walks and a home run by Derner to hop out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  The Pioneers added another run in the top of the second frame when Rob Pasternak (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) scored on a throwing error, after he laced a double down the left-field line.

Kansas Wesleyan used walks and an error by the Pioneer defense to put up a run in the bottom of the second frame. The Coyotes scored six runs on four hits in the bottom of the third inning to pull ahead, 7-4.

Flores singled and advanced on a throwing error, plating K.C. Abel (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) in the fourth inning.  Flores later scored on a Ptaszynski sac fly, cutting the lead to 7-6.  Abel doubled to right-center, scoring junior Scott Hansen (Saddle Brook, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) and Pasternak, who had previously reached on walks, to put WP in front, 8-7.

Bryce Basinger reached on an error to lead off the top of the seventh inning for Kansas Wesleyan.  A double by senior Adam Jones put Basinger at third, and junior Caleb Wade's ground ball was enough to score Basinger, knotting the game at 8-8.

Freshman Tom Gaccione (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional) picked up the win in relief for the Pioneers, tossing 1.2 innings allowing one hit.  Classmate Ryan Monaghan (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) got the start for William Paterson allowing five runs (four earned) in 2.1 innings of work.  Senior Dan Alcala (Totowa, N.J./Passaic Valley Regional) tossed 4.0 relief innings, surrendering one run on one hit.

Derner finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, while Abel was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

William Paterson will face Williams College at 1:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, March 21.