The Ramapo baseball team played four games this week, two of which were their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games of the season. The Roadrunners won their first two games to keep up their winning streak before falling in their final two games of the week in their NJAC games on Saturday. They now sit at 13-6 overall for the season and a 0-2 record for the NJAC.
The baseball team started off the week strong with a win against St. Joseph’s University-Long Island in a non-conference game, 8-5. The Roadrunners extended their winning streak to six games, making their record 12-4 and the Golden Eagles’ standing at 9-8 overall.
Ramapo was the first to get a run on board in the third inning. Zack Bailey walked with bases loaded, forcing home Eric Knapp, making the score 1-0. In the fifth inning, St. Joseph’s-Long Island scored three runs on a Ramapo fielding error to make the score 3-1.
Later, Jesse Swartout doubled down the left field line, allowing Bailey and Dominick Ciani to earn the tying runs. Swartout later scored on a throwing error by the Golden Eagles before John Higgins allowed Matt Lalomia to go home with a double to right field, 5-3.
The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at five before Ramapo took the lead for the win in the sixth. Brandon Tauber led off the inning with a single before Knapp and Ciani each walked to load the bases with no outs. Zach Novakowski hit a double to right center field that cleared the bases, securing the lead at 8-5.
Jake Depetris started on the mound for the Roadrunners, where he struck out eight, walked one and scattered five hits while surrendering three runs. At the top of the sixth, Ryan Lasko went in for Depetris, where he earned the win in relief. Nick Danbrowney went in for the final two innings of the game, earning his first save with no hits at bat.
The Roadrunners then took on Alvernia University at home on Thursday to extend their winning streak to seven with a non-conference win, 11-6. Ramapo moves their overall record to 13-4, while the Wolves receive a 10-10 record overall for the season.
Alvernia was the first to score in the game in the first inning at bat. The Roadrunners followed up the first run with three of their own in the bottom of the first for the lead. Swartout received another home run for the season, allowing Novakowski and Bailey to each score as well.
Alvernia earned another run with a sacrifice fly that shortened the lead between the teams just before the Roadrunners scored in the fourth inning. Lalomia drove in Swartout before Higgins doubled to center field to drive Lalomia home, 5-2. In the sixth inning, the Wolves tied the game, scoring one run on a wild pitch along with two other runs.
Ramapo got back into the game in the seventh when Melvin Matias hit his first career home run over the left-field fence to take the lead, 6-5. Lalomia earned a run before Swartout stole home for the 8-5 lead. He later scored on a wild pitch before Knapp singled, bringing home Shaun Piotrowski and Higgins, 11-5. Alvernia scored the final run of the game in the ninth making the final score 11-6.
Will Paoli earned the win in relief for Ramapo with one strikeout and refused to give up a single hit or run in his innings of work.
The Ramapo baseball team was defeated in the NJAC doubleheader opener against Montclair State University on Saturday. Ramapo fell in both games, receiving a 0-2 in NJAC games and 13-6 overall for the season. Montclair moved to a 16-7 record overall and 2-0 for NJAC.
In game one against Montclair, the Roadrunners took the lead of 2-0 in the fourth inning before the Red Hawks retaliated in the seventh after a homerun to make the score 5-2. Bailey hit a single home run in the fourth before Higgins brought home Swartout with a single, 2-0.
In the seventh, Montclair scored one run on an RBI single before Chase Fletcher hit a home run to take the lead. Bailey recorded a sacrifice fly in the eighth to bring home Ciani for Ramapo’s third run of the game.
James Pazdera started on the mound for the Roadrunners as he struck out two and walked four, surrendering three hits and two runs. Danbrowney went in for Pazdera in the seventh and took the loss on the mound as he gave up three runs on two hits.
In the second game of the day, Ramapo got on the board in the first inning with a double by Novakowski and then later scored on a single from Bailey. The Red Hawks singled home in the bottom of the first, earning the first run of the game for a 1-1 tie.
In the bottom of the third, the Red Hawks scored on an infielder throwing error for a 2-1 lead. In the top of the fifth with two outs, Bailey was hit by a pitch before Swartout hit a triple to center field to tie the game at two. Montclair took the lead in the bottom of the eighth with two errors by Ramapo in the inning for a 4-2 lead.
Jack Martin pitched for Ramapo, earning five strikeouts and one walk. He had nine hits on him and let up four runs. Lasko went in for relief for Martin and took the loss in relief.
Ramapo returns to the field today against Rutgers-Newark for a NJAC game at home at 3:30 p.m. Later in the week, they play New Jersey City University in a NJAC doubleheader game at home this Saturday at 11:30 p.m and 2:30 p.m.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Jenna Barnes
