By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
In a week of stiff competition, the College’s baseball team took on fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference teams No. 18 Rowan and No. 7 Kean. With a valiant effort, the team went 0-4, falling to fourth in conference standings.
The Lions traveled to Glassboro, N.J., to take on Rowan on April 17, falling 7-2 to the No. 18-ranked Profs. The College’s bats fell silent, as they held a zero in the hits column until the eighth inning.
After going down three runs, the Lions looked to rally in the sixth, as they had two men on with no outs. In an unfortunate break, senior Zach Hochheiser grounded into a double play, scoring a run, but clearing the bases.
Rowan answered in the bottom of the sixth, adding two runs to the College's deficit. Fifth-year Gianni Marano ended the Lions' hitless streak in the eighth inning with a single up the middle. The team was unable to use this momentum as they were only able to bring across one more run, setting the final score to 7-2.
Fifth-year Ryan Goodall made his 170th appearance during the game, breaking the record set in 1992 by Dan Dengler.
The Profs traveled to Ewing the next day, in what was a hopeful attempt to swing the momentum from the first game by the Lions. Rowan started hot, scoring two runs in the first inning, and never looked back.
The Lions mustered an offensive attack, tallying seven hits across their nine innings of play. Marano struck again, this time roping a double to score the team’s first run, bringing Rowan within one run.
Rowan would blow the game open in the next frame, scoring five runs to make the score 7-1. Marano would bring home the team’s other two runs during the bottom of the seventh with a two-out double. The Lions’ bats fell silent after this, recording only one hit over the final two innings and ultimately losing 8-3.
The Lions would hit the road on April 19, traveling to Union, N.J., to take on No. 6 Kean University. In two hard-fought games, the Lions' offense would ultimately fall short of Kean’s.
Game one saw the Lions struggle at the plate, not recording a hit for the first four innings. Kean would score a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings, bringing the Lions down 4-0. Goodall drove in two runs, singling with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.
Lions’ hitters combined for five hits and 13 strikeouts as faltering bats were unable to help fifth- year pitcher Ben Amon stride past a dominant Kean team, with the squad losing 4-2. Amon held the Cougars to just four runs over his 6.2 innings.
Game two saw Lions star pitcher Jackson Malouf take the mound in a hopeful attempt to quell Kean’s offense. A triple by senior Mike LaGravenis set up junior Jack O’Donnell to drive in a run in the first inning, giving the Lions their first lead of the week.
The College would give up two runs in the bottom of the second. However, it wasn’t long before Marano drove in an RBI against his former teammates and senior Andrew Fernandez would hit a solo-home run to put the Lions up 3-2.
Kean would strike hard and quickly in the bottom of the fifth, putting up four runs and proving why they are the No. 6 team in the nation. The College would record five more hits scattered across the remainder of the game, yet was unable to put together an offensive strike to reclaim the lead. The Cougars would go on to win 7-3, sweeping the Lions for their second time in the week.
The Lions are set to play their four remaining NJAC games, with hopes of defeating Ramapo on April 24 and 25 and Montclair State in a Senior Day doubleheader on April 26 to clinch their position at third in the conference.
