The Roadrunners baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and then made three straight outs in the top of the ninth to defeat the Drew University Rangers on Monday in a non conference game.
Ramapo had an 8-3 lead after the third inning, but Drew battled back to tie the game at 9-9 before the Roadrunners broke away in the eighth inning and then held on for a 12-9 win.
"When they tied the score in the top of the eighth, I think we realized it was time to put the game away," said Ramapo head coach Rich Martin. "I spoke to [the team] before the inning started and told them that it would be terrible to lose a game that we were so far ahead in, and they responded."
Junior pitcher Mark Doyle earned the win in the game, as he allowed just one run and earned a strikeout in two innings of action, facing seven batters.
Sophomores Keith Jennings, Kurt Rutmayer, Pasquale LaBracio and freshman Tyler Curto also saw time on the mound for the Roadrunners in the game. Martin said he did not plan on using five pitchers, but did so because of the way the game was going.
"It was an opportunity for them to show what they had. To be honest ,they all did well, and poorly. None of them were terrible, they all did some really good things, and some really bad things," he said. "But I think it’s great for them, it’s tremendous experience and I would like to think that everyone will be better for it when they play again next time."
Seven different Roadrunners scored runs in the game. Senior Jose Garcia had three runs on four at bats. Freshman Kyle Skoog helped his teammates with a team leading four RBIs while scoring two runs of his own. He made four hits on five at bats.
Martin said that while Skoog has had some ups and downs in his rookie season, he has played very well for the majority of it.
"He was the player of the game. One of the problems with freshmen is that they are very inconsistent. He’s been more up than down," Martin said. "I’m counting on big things from him next year.
With the win, the Roadrunners improve their overall record to 18-12-1, but will shift their focus to four upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference games that will determine if they qualify for the NJAC tournament.
They are currently 5-8-1 in the NJAC, but Martin is confident his team can make the tournament if they win at least three of the next four.
The Roadrunners host New Jersey City University, who is 3-11 in conference, today, and will play them again in Jersey City on Friday. On Saturday, the team will travel to play Rutgers-Camden in a doubleheader. The Scarlet Raptors are 10-4 in the NJAC and are trying to claim a top seed in the tournament.
"The bottom line is we’re going to have to work very, very hard. Camden, as you see in the standings is one of the top teams, Jersey City isn’t. So we’re going to have to make sure we beat Jersey City and hopefully win a game from Camden."
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mmontal1@ramapo.edu
