The Ramapo baseball team played five games this week, four of which were New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games. The Roadrunners won four of their games this week to sit 17-7 overall for the season and 3-3 for the NJAC.
The baseball team started off the week with a non-conference win against Manhattanville University, ending with a score of 10-5. The Roadrunners moved to 14-6 overall while the Valiants sat at 12-8.
Manhattanville was the first to get onto the board with one run in the top of the second before the Roadrunners took the lead in the bottom half. Ramapo recorded three back to back triples to get onto the board. After Jesse Swartout hit one to right field, John Higgins followed up with one down the right field line and Matt Lalomia hit one to left center field. Robert Klawans drove home Lalomia with an RBI groundout. Dominick Ciani would reach on an error allowing Eric Knapp to go home, 4-1.
The Valiants scored one run in the top of the fourth before Ramapo added three runs in the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Zach Novakowski hit a double before Swartout was hit by a pitch, each moved up a base before Higgins hit a double to left field to plate both players, 6-2. Lalomia drove in Higgins with a single to left field, 7-2.
Ramapo added one in the seventh, 8-2. Each team earned runs in the eighth with bases loaded for the Valiants before Ramapo got a two out ground out. In the bottom of the eighth, Ramapo earned their final runs making it 10-3. The Valiants ended the game with two more runs ending the game with a Ramapo victory, 10-5.
Michael Zalinkanskas earned the win for the Roadrunners on the mound in his first career start where he struck out six, walked two and surrendered five hits.
Ramapo then took on Rutgers-Newark in an away NJAC doubleheader where Ramapo lost the first game and won the second. The Roadrunners moved to 15-7 overall and 1-3 for NJAC.
In game one, Ramapo fell 3-4 against the Scarlet Raiders. Ramapo scored one run in the first inning when Zack Bailey scored on a wild pitch. They would later on score their second run in the third with Ciani scoring for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fifth, Ramapo earned their third run of the game with Brandon Tauber scoring on an RBI single from Ciani, 3-0.
Jack Martin kept the Scarlet Raiders from scoring for seven innings with surrendering five hits. Ciani took relief for Martin where Rutgers-Newark scored two runs on a two run homerun. They walked off with the victory with a RBI double scoring two more runs making the score 4-3.
In game two, Ramapo won 4-2 against the Scarlet Raiders. Each team scored one in the first inning, before Ramapo took the lead 3-1. In the fifth, Bailey walked before Ciani doubled and Novakowski walked to make bases loaded. Swartout walked, forcing home Bailey before Higgins hit an RBI single bringing home Ciani for the 3-1 lead.
Ramapo added their fourth and final run of the game in the seventh with Lalomia driving in Ciani with a single. The Scarlet Raiders received one final run in the ninth before Ramapo relief pitcher Ryan Lasko got the final two outs of the game.
Jake Depetris earned the win on the mound with four strikeouts, four walks and four hits. Lasko earned his third win of the season where he struck out five, scattered six hits and walked none.
For the final game of the week, the Roadrunners went against New Jersey City University winning both games ending their week with a record of 17-7 and 3-3 for NJAC. The Gothic Knights stand at 9-14-1 and 0-6 in NJAC.
In game one, Higgins drove in two runs to get the team on board while Lalomia singled home Higgins for a 3-0 lead. In the second inning Ramapo added five runs to their lead. Swartout brought home Bailey with an RBI single before Higgins drove in two with his 100 career hit, 8-0. Lalomia tripled to left field to earn an RBI, 9-0.
Ramapo added six additional runs in the fourth highlighted by a two RBI single from Klawans. Going into the seventh, Ramapo had a 17-0 lead before adding two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth. The Golden Knights earned a single run in the eighth before ending the game, 20-1.
James Pazdera struck out 10, walked one and allowed two hits. Cody Quagliato went in for the seventh and eighth where he struck out four, walked none and allowed two hits. Billy Scanlon ended the game with one strikeout, one walk and no hits.
In game two of the game, Ramapo got on the board first in the first inning with three hits. Novakowski brought home Bailey with an RBI single before Ciani scored. Higgins drove in Novakowski, 3-0. In the fourth, Julian Caruso singled to left to bring home Klawans before Ciani singled to center field to plate Caruso, 6-0.
The Roadrunners added six runs in the sixth to make the lead 11-0. The Gothic Knights scored eight runs in the eighth inning with six walks and two RBI doubles by Garrett Allo. The Roadrunners got one run back in the eighth with Tauber with a double down the left field line before going home from Knapp, 12-8.
Starting pitcher Nick Danbrowney earned the win on the mound after striking out nine including his 193 of his career. Lasko earned the save in relief, his fourth of the season.
Ramapo returns back to the field on Thursday against William Paterson University for an NJAC game at the Pioneers’ home field at 3:30 p.m. Later in the week, they play Rowan University in a NJAC doubleheader game at home this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Nitin Shukla
