WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (23-11, 9-5 NJAC) secured a pair of important conference victories with a 10-4, 8-0 sweep of visiting Rutgers-Camden (17-18, 4-10 NJAC) April 23.
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers seized a 2-0 second-inning lead. Senior catcher Dylan Habeeb (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) was hit by a pitch and senior left fielder Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) walked before a wild pitch left runners on the corners. Graduate student first baseman Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) sent a sacrifice fly to right to plate Habeeb and senior right fielder Vinnie Martin (Lodi, N.J./Bergen Catholic) drove home Yelin with a double to right-center field.
- The Scarlet Raptors leveled the score in the third with a pair of walks, a bunt single and error, and a double steal.
- Senior third baseman Colin Lombardo (Edison, N.J./Edison) opened the home half of the third with a blast to left center, his seventh round-tripper of the year, for a 3-2 score.
- Rutgers-Camden again tied the game, this time with a single, stolen base, base hit and wild pitch during the top of the fourth inning.
- Martin drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, and after an error on a Lombardo fielder's choice, sophomore second baseman Jake Lutz (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) was issued a free pass to load the bases. Senior designated hitter Dan Carter (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) sent a ground ball through the hole on the left side, scoring two Pioneers for a 5-3 edge.
- The Scarlet Raptors cut the deficit in half with a walk, fielder's choice, two singles and a wild pitch during the top of the sixth inning.
- Yelin opened the bottom half of the sixth with a walk and stolen base, moved to third on a Weis single to shallow center and scored on a Martin sac fly, extending the lead to 6-4.
- WP added four to its lead in the eighth with a Habeeb single through the left side, a Yelin walk, a pair of wild pitches, a Martin run-scoring base hit up the middle, a bunt single by senior shortstop Chris Liriano (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) and bases-loaded walks by Lombardo and Lutz.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Martin finished 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Yelin walked all four of his plate appearances and scored twice, while Lombardo and Carter each drove in two runs.
- Junior Ian Metzger (Verona, N.J./Verona) pitched the first 5.1 innings and was charged with nine hits, four runs and three walks, collecting three strikeouts (7-3).
- Junior Dan Castaneda (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) picked up the save with 3.2 shutout innings, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out four.
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers crossed the plate once during the home half of the third thanks to a Liriano one-out walk, a Lombardo base hit to left, a fielder's choice and a Carter RBI-single to third.
- Lombardo's second homer of the day, a solo shot to left, made it a 2-0 game after five.
- WP added another run in the sixth with a Weis fielder's choice, Martin base hit to left-center field and RBI-single down the left-field line by senior center fielder Justin Grippo (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah).
- The Pioneers extended their advantage to 6-0 with a three-run seventh. Carter drew a leadoff walk and Yelin's ground ball was dropped by the second baseman, leaving two on with no one out. Habeeb doubled in Carter, and after a Weis walk loaded the bases, a Martin fielder's choice resulted in an out at the plate. Grippo's fielder's choice scored Habeeb, and with runners on the corners, Grippo created a rundown between first and second that lasted long enough for Weis to scamper home.
- Lombardo was hit by a one-out pitch in the eighth and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He scored when Klutz singled through the left side, and Lutz trotted home when Carter doubled to right center, making it an 8-0 margin.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Carter went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a pair of RBI and a run scored.
- Grippo drove in two runs, and Lombardo, Lutz and Habeeb each had two-hit efforts.
- Senior Jordan Manne (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) threw the first complete-game shutout of his career, scattering six hits and four walks while matching his career best with seven strikeouts.
- The shutout was the first of the season for the Pioneer pitching staff.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson plays at Scranton Monday, April 25, at 5:00 p .m.
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