WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (6-11, 0-2 NJAC) opened conference play March 29, dropping 6-4 and 8-3 decisions to visiting Rutgers-Camden (10-9, 2-0 NJAC).
GAME ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers struck first when junior shortstop Devin Daproza (Englewood, N.J./Leonia) opened the home half of the first with a triple off the fence in right-center field and senior designated hitter Dylan Santos (Nutley, N.J./Nutley) followed with an RBI-single through the left side.
- The Scarlet Raptors leveled the score during the top of the fourth inning with a walk, bunt single, sacrifice bunt and sac fly.
- Rutgers-Camden strung together two base hits, a sacrifice bunt and a two-run single for a 3-1 edge in the sixth.
- WP crossed the plate once during its next at-bat on a base hit to shortstop by senior second baseman Angel Colon (Hawthorne, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional), a single through the right side by junior center fielder Stephen Kubis (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills), and a run-scoring fielder's choice by sophomore left fielder Jesse Bash (Tenafly, N.J./Tenafly).
- A hit, sacrifice, two walks, single and error added two to the Scarlet Raptors' total in the eighth, 5-2.
- Rutgers-Camden made it a 6-2 margin during the top of the ninth inning, thanks to a hit by pitch and a pair of base hits.
- The Pioneers mounted a ninth-inning comeback. Senior Christian Peluso (Bridgewater, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) started things off with a pinch hit single to left, but a lineout and fielder's choice left WP down to its last out. After junior Avery Whitney (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) entered as a pinch runner, freshman right fielder Matt Caruso (North Haledon, N.J./Passaic County Technical) reached on an error, junior first baseman Ty Kobylakiewicz (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) singled in Whitney, Colon was hit by a pitch, and junior center fielder Stephen Kubis (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) plated Caruso with a base hit through the left side. WP had the tying runs in scoring position, but a groundout ended the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Kobylakiewicz went 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Caruso was 2-for-5 and added a double and run scored. Colon finished 2-for-4 and scored once.
- Junior Jose Marte (Bogota, N.J./Bogota) pitched 6.1 innings as the starter, allowing three runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out one (1-1).
- Sophomore Jayden Villalta (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes) gave up two runs (one earned) and one hit, striking out two during 1.0 inning of relief. Freshman JT Pugliese (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) tossed 1.2 innings and surrendered one run and three hits.
GAME TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A leadoff error, base hit, stolen base and wild pitch, groundout and two singles made it a 3-0 Rutgers-Camden lead during the top of the first inning.
- WP got one of those runs back during its first at-bat. Daproza drew a leadoff walk, senior third baseman Jordan Brown (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) singled through the right side and Daproza scored on a groundout double play, leaving it a 3-1 score.
- Two base hits, a double play and an error made it a 4-1 Scarlet Raptor lead in the second, and a double, groundout, hit by pitch and squeeze bunt pushed it to 5-1 in the third.
- Kobylakiewicz doubled in Brown, who had reached via a single up the middle, to add one to the Pioneers' tally during the home half of the third inning.
- Rutgers-Camden scored once in the fifth with a double, groundout and infield single, then plated one more in the sixth on a two-out hit by pitch, double and RBI-single, making it a 7-2 margin.
- William Paterson posted one run during the bottom of the sixth inning after Caruso singled to center and Kobylakiewicz doubled to right center.
- The Scarlet Raptors opened the eighth with a solo home run, building an 8-3 advantage.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Kobylakiewicz hit three doubles during four at-bats, driving in two runs. Kubis was 2-for-3 with a double, and Brown finished 3-for-5 while scoring a run.
- Junior Rob Nathan (Lords Valley, Pa./Vernon Twp.) was charged with five runs (two earned), seven hits and a walk during 2.1 innings as the starter, striking out one batter (1-5).
- Freshman JT DeRiso (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs, eight hits and a walk while registering one punchout. Sophomore Corey Mulholland (Totowa, N.J./Wayne Hills) retired two of the three batters he faced, and senior Nick Durso (Morris Plains, N.J./Parsippany Hills) walked three and struck out one during 1.0 inning of relief.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson visits DeSales Tuesday, March 31, at 5:00 p.m.
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