GALLOWAY, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (24-13, 9-8 NJAC) secured a spot in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament thanks to a 5-2, 16-5 sweep at Stockton (13-18, 3-14 NJAC) April 27.
With one regular-season game remaining for the Pioneers, WP stands fifth in the NJAC standings. Conference play will conclude Monday, April 29, and the top six teams will qualify for the double-elimination NJAC Tournament that begins Tuesday, April 30.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game One
- A two-out infield single by sophomore right fielder Danny Carter (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) and a double to left center by senior designated hitter Shane Adams (Cape May, N.J./Cape May Tech) handed WP a 1-0 fourth-inning edge.
- The Pioneers gave themselves some breathing room with a three-run eighth. Sophomore first baseman Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) opened the frame with a bunt single, then a balk, foulout and Carter base hit left runners on the corners. Junior pinch hitter Vin Dorio (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) put down the squeeze bunt for an RBI-single before junior third baseman Carlos Perez (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) struck out, but the third strike wasn't caught and the throw to first was offline, allowing Carter to score. Sophomore shortstop Greg Cuevas (West New York, N.J./St. Mary (Rutherford)) then singled in Dorio for a 4-0 advantage.
- The Ospreys used a walk and double to cross the plate once during the home half of the eighth.
- Sophomore center fielder Steven DiGirolamo (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) led off the ninth with a base hit to right field, and after two wild pitches, touched home on a Weis sacrifice fly for a 5-1 lead.
- A Stockton double and a later WP error cut the advantage to 5-2 with one out in the ninth, but junior Jack DeFouw (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) struck out the next two batters to finish off the victory.
Game Two
- WP seized a 3-0 advantage during the top of the second inning, using base hits from Perez and junior designated hitter Mike Grasso (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo), a Cuevas RBI-groundout, DiGirolamo run-scoring double and Matt Ferrara (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) RBI-single.
- A hit by pitch and double put Stockton on the scoreboard in the third, 3-1, and the Ospreys used three hits and a walk for a three-run fifth, and an RBI-single in the sixth, for a 5-3 edge.
- The Pioneers answered by crossing the plate five times during the top of the seventh inning. Carter opened the frame with a home run, and after a flyout and error, Cuevas doubled to right. A Dorio single and error knotted the score at 5-5, DiGirolamo singled up the middle to plate two runners, and another error made it an 8-5 margin.
- Singles by Perez and Grasso, a run-scoring error and a Dorio infield RBI-single pushed William Paterson's lead to 10-5 in the eighth.
- WP added six more in the ninth thanks to run-scoring singles from Carter, Grasso, Cuevas, Dorio and Ferrara.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Game One
- Carter went 3-for-4 and scored twice, and Weis was 2-for-4 while driving in a run and scoring once. DiGirolamo added a 2-for-5 effort and a run scored.
- Senior Eric Rosenberg (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) went into the eighth, finishing with a line of 7.0 innings, one run, four hits, two walks and a career-best nine strikeouts (6-2). DeFouw picked up his second save of the season with 2.0 innings of one-hit ball, allowing one unearned run while striking out three.
Game Two
- DiGirolamo finished 5-for-7 while tallying a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Carter was 4-for-6 while adding a homer, two RBI and a pair of runs scored, Dorio went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, and Grasso and Perez each had three hits.
- Freshman Matt Lawler (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) earned the win with 4.1 innings of relief, giving up one unearned run, four hits and a walk while posting two strikeouts (3-0).
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson finishes its regular season with a single game at Montclair State Sunday, April 28, at 12:00 p.m.
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