WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson (12-8, 0-2 NJAC) saw its baseball doubleheader split with No. 7 Rowan (15-4, 2-0 NJAC) slip away in the ninth inning of game two, falling 14-10 after a 16-0 first-game loss during both teams' New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener April 2 at Jeff Albies Field.
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A double, three singles and a pair of walks allowed the Profs to score three times during their first at-bat.
- Rowan made it a 7-0 game during the top of the second inning thanks to two hit by pitches, a double and a three-run homer.
- Back-to-back doubles plated one Prof run in the third, and three base hits resulted in another run tallied in the fourth.
- Rowan crossed the plate seven times during the top half of the seventh off six hits and an error, making it a 16-0 margin.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Senior catcher Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional), senior third baseman Colin Lombardo (Edison, N.J./Edison) and senior designated hitter Dylan Habeeb (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) accounted for WP's three hits.
- Junior Ian Metzger (Verona, N.J./Verona) suffered the loss (5-2), allowing eight runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out three during 2.2 innings as the starter.
- Junior Dan Castaneda (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) went 3.2 innings and surrendered six hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk, posting two strikeouts. Freshman Nick Durso (Morris Plains, N.J./Parsippany Hills) was charged with four runs, four hits and a base on balls over 0.2 inning, while classmate Pat Pantoliano (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) tossed the final 2.0 hitless innings and struck out two batters while walking one.
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers took the lead with a three-run third inning. After singles by Lombardo and Yelin and a walk from Habeeb loaded the bases, senior right fielder Vinnie Martin (Lodi, N.J./Bergen Catholic) flared a pitch into shallow center field, falling between three fielders for a bases-clearing double.
- WP added two more during the home half of the fourth. Lombardo singled through the right side, graduate student Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) walked and Yelin was hit by a pitch, loading the bags for senior left fielder Dan Carter (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield). He delivered a run with a base hit through the right side, and Habeeb's fly ball to right field plated another, making it a 5-0 score.
- Sophomore second baseman Jake Lutz (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) homered to left center, pushing the advantage to 6-0 after five frames.
- Rowan got four of those runs back with five singles, two sacrifice flies and a walk during the top of the sixth inning.
- Martin started a sixth-inning rally with a two-out single to left field and Lutz added a base hit off the third baseman's glove. Senior center fielder Justin Grippo (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) launched a ball to the fence in right-center field for a two-run triple, and after senior shortstop Chris Liriano (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) drew a nine-pitch walk, Lombardo dropped a base hit into right-center field for a 9-4 lead.
- A Yelin infield single, Carter base hit to left center and Habeeb double off the fence down the left-field line tacked on one Pioneer seventh-inning run.
- Four walks resulted in a run scored by Rowan during the top of the eighth, and freshman Neel Telidevara (Dayton, N.J./South Brunswick) entered with zero outs and the bases loaded. He induced a ground ball that Lombardo snagged, tagging the runner headed to third and throwing across to first for a double play to get two outs as the runner scored from third. Six pitches later, a called strike three ended the half inning with the score 10-6.
- Three walks, two on full counts, loaded the bases for the Profs to start the top of the ninth inning. A fielder's choice scored one run, but a fly ball during the next at-bat made it two outs and a 10-7 score with runners on the corners. The Pioneers thought they had ended the game on an 0-2 pitch, but instead the call was ball one, and on the very next pitch Rowan hit an RBI-single to left. That opened up the gates for the Profs, who went on to score six more runs and take a 14-10 lead.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Martin was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Lombardo finished 4-for-6 while contributing an RBI and two runs scored.
- Weis went 3-for-5 with a double and run scored, while Habeeb and Grippo each drove in two runs.
- Senior Riley Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, finishing with a line of four runs, four hits and three walks allowed, striking out four during 5.1 innings.
- Senior Matt Lawler (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) scattered one hit and two walks over his 1.2 innings. Junior Darmany Rivas (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) was charged with two runs and four walks.
- Telidevara had a strikeout and walk during his 1.0 inning of action. Carter allowed seven runs (five earned), three hits and four walks over 0.2 inning, and senior Jordan Manne (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) surrendered one unearned run on a walk and strikeout while recording the final out.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson plays a single game at The College of New Jersey Thursday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m.
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