UNION, N.J. – After dropping a 4-3 decision during the day's opening game, the William Paterson baseball team (2-1) broke open the night cap with a three-run ninth inning, defeating host No. 12 Kean (3-1) by a 5-1 margin March 13 during non-conference play.
 
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A two-run homer and an RBI-triple handed the Cougars a 3-0 second-inning lead.
• Senior center fielder Steven DiGirolamo (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) opened the top of the fourth with a single to right, and two batters later junior designated hitter Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) sent him home with a double down the left-field line. Senior catcher Dylan Habeeb (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) followed with a run-scoring base hit into center field, cutting the advantage to 3-2.
• WP leveled the score during its next at-bat. Senior left fielder Frankie Deane (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) led off with a single up the middle, DiGirolamo walked and senior shortstop Matt Ferrara (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) sacrificed the runners up a base. Yelin's ground ball plated Deane and made it a 3-3 game.
• With runners on the corners and one out during the home half of the fifth frame, a fly ball into foul territory resulted in a sacrifice fly, pushing across the go-ahead run for Kean.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Deane went 2-for-4 while scoring a run, and Yelin had a double, two RBI and a run scored.
• Junior Jordan Manne (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) (0-1) tossed the first 4.2 innings, striking out five while allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks.
• Sophomore Elian Mendez (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) contributed 1.1 innings of hitless relief, registering one punchout, while junior Matt Lawler (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scattered one hit and two walks over the final 2.0 innings with one strikeout.

 
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A pair of two-out walks issued to Deane and DiGirolamo led to a Ferrara bases-clearing double to right-center field, giving WP a 2-0 edge during the top of the third inning.
• Kean got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of an error, groundout and single.
• The Cougars threatened several times, including the home half of the eighth with runners on the corners and one out, but Deane turned a lineout to left into an inning-ending double play with his throw to the plate.
• WP tacked on three big insurance runs during its final at-bat. DiGirolamo hit a one-out single to left center and Ferrara sent a base hit into center field, setting up Yelin's two-run double to left. After a groundout, senior first baseman Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) plated Yelin with an RBI-single, making it a 5-1 lead.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ferrara had two hits, including a double, two RBI and a run scored. Yelin drove in two runs, and DiGirolamo touched home twice.
• Senior Jack DeFouw (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) (1-0) allowed one unearned run on six hits and two walks, striking out four during his 6.0 innings of action.
• Senior Zac Polzer (North Haledon, N.J./Passaic County Tech) struck out one and walked one in 1.0 inning of relief. Sophomore Darmany Rivas (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) earned his first career save with 2.0 shutout innings, giving up one hit and a walk while posting two punchouts.
• With four more caught stealings during the night cap, Habeeb and Yelin have already combined to wipe out seven of eight potential base stealers this season.

 
UP NEXT:

• William Paterson hosts The College of New Jersey Thursday, March 18, at 3:30 p.m.

 
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