WAYNE, N.J. – Trailing by as many as seven, the William Paterson baseball team (7-13, 1-3 NJAC) stormed back to secure a 16-14 upset victory against visiting No. 21 Montclair State (19-5, 3-1 NJAC) April 3.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Freshman first baseman Matt Caruso (North Haledon, N.J./Passaic County Technical) handed the Pioneers a 1-0 first-inning edge when he belted his first career home run, clearing the fence in left field.
- The Red Hawks leveled the score at 1-1 in the second with a double, fielder's choice and groundout.
- MSU went ahead 4-1 in the third after a base hit, hit by pitch, single, double, walk and sacrifice fly.
- WP got two runs back during their next at-bat. Junior shortstop Devin Daproza's (Englewood, N.J./Leonia) shot to left was a ground-rule double, senior third baseman Dylan Santos (Nutley, N.J./Nutley) drew a base on balls, and Caruso singled through the right side to plate Daproza. Junior designated hitter Ty Kobylakiewicz's (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) lineout was deep enough to score Santos from third, making it a 4-3 game.
- Montclair State crossed the plate six times during the top of the fifth inning for a 10-3 advantage.
- Sophomore center fielder Sean Lauterhahn (Oradell, N.J./River Dell) reached on an error to open their next at-bat, followed by a Daproza walk and a Santos base hit through the left side to load the bags. Caruso's sac fly to left scored one run, and after a Kobylakiewicz base hit down the line, junior left fielder Stephen Kubis (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) doubled to right center for two more runs, cutting the lead to 10-6.
- Four hits and an error helped MSU touch home twice in the sixth, 12-6.
- The Pioneers fought back for five scores during the bottom half of the same frame. Lauterhahn was issued a one-out base on balls, and after a flyout, Santos and Caruso put together back-to-back singles for one run. Kobylakiewicz drilled a three-run homer to left, making it a 12-10 game, and after a Kubis walk and an Angel Colon (Hawthorne, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional) base hit up the middle, a wild pitch added one more to the WP ledger to leave it a one-run margin at 12-11.
- A two-run double handed the Red Hawks a 14-11 seventh-inning lead.
- WP batted around in the seventh, producing five runs to seize the lead. Senior Christian Peluso (Bridgewater, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) led off with a pinch-hit walk, Lauterhahn was hit by an 0-2 pitch, and Daproza's groundout left runners on second and third with one out. Santos singled to center to plate both runners, Caruso's double to right center tied the score, and after a Kobylakiewicz base on balls, Kubis plated the go-ahead run with a double to left center. Colon's ground ball through the left side added one more, and the Pioneers owned a 16-14 advantage.
- Senior Nick Durso (Morris Plains, N.J./Parsippany Hills) took the mound to start the eighth, and after a leadoff walk, he got a groundout and double play to keep it a two-run game. He worked around a two-out base on balls in the ninth, inducing a flyout to secure the victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Caruso went 4-for-5, adding a double, homer, five RBI and three runs scored. Santos had three hits, two RBI and four runs.
- Kobylakiewicz finished 2-for-3 while contributing a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Colon was 4-for-5 and drove in a run, and Kubis went 2-for-3 while chipping in two walks, a pair of doubles, three RBI and a run scored.
- Senior Julian Salinas (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) gave up seven runs, seven hits and four walks, striking out two over 4.0 innings of action.
- Freshman JT Pugliese (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) worked 1.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned), six hits and a walk with one punchout. Junior Kevin Reiner (Maywood, N.J./Hackensack) posted one strikeout, scattering two hits and a run over 1.0 inning.
- Sophomore Corey Mulholland (Totowa, N.J./Wayne Hills) picked up the win (1-0) with 0.2 inning of relief, giving up one run on two hits.
- Durso earned his fourth save of the season, walking two while recording the final six outs.
- It was the first WP win against a ranked team since an 8-7 triumph against No. 23 Keystone on March 26, 2025.
- Durso moved into a tie for sixth place on the Pioneer career saves list (eight).
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson hosts New Jersey City for a league doubleheader Saturday, April 4, at 11:30 a.m.
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