COLLEGE BASEBALL: Stevens' late rallies stun Rutgers-Camden nine
Thursday, March 30, 2017
3/29/2017 7:38:00 PM
HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 29, 2017) – Senior centerfielder Michael Mule' (Boca Raton, FL/West Boca Raton) drilled a two-out, two-run home run to center in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team to a wild 8-6 comeback victory over Rutgers University-Camden here Wednesday.
Stevens, which rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, evens its record at 9-9-1 with its fourth straight win. Rutgers-Camden falls to 8-6 with only its second loss in the last seven games.
Mule' hit his game-winning home run after a two-out walk to sophomore third baseman Matt Branco (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Absegami).
Rutgers-Camden held a 6-3 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth, but the Ducks used four hits and three walks to plate three runs. Mule' had a RBI single to plate the first run of that frame. The Ducks scored the tying run on a single to right field by junior designated hitter Alex Detweiler (Sarasota, FL/Riverview/Pine View School) and left the bases loaded.
The Scarlet Raptors scored a quick run in the top of the first inning when senior rightfielder Zach Ellin (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) was hit by a pitch to open the game. He advanced on a passed ball and the Raptors drew three walks in the inning, with a base on balls to junior centerfielder Brett Kuchera (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood) forcing home Ellin.
The Scarlet Raptors added two more runs in the second when senior first baseman Frank Cerami IV (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) was hit by a pitch and scored ahead of the first collegiate home run by freshman shortstop Nolan Gerold (Merchantville, NJ/Camden Catholic). Gerold unloaded his shot to left field.
Senior rightfielder Zeph Walters (Diamond Bar, CA/Diamond Bar) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to put the Ducks on the board, but the Scarlet Raptors countered two innings later on a solo homer to left by senior designated hitter Brandon Cornelius (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek). It was the first homer of the season for Cornelius and the second of his Scarlet Raptor career.
Stevens cut the gap to 4-3 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth by senior leftfielder Garrett Wells (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa). Later in the game, Wells sparked that game-tying ninth inning with a leadoff walk.
Rutgers-Camden pushed across an unearned run in the eighth inning and added a ninth-inning run on a double by Cerami and an RBI single by senior catcher Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) to take its 6-3 lead to the bottom of the ninth.
Rutgers-Camden collected a total of six hits off six Stevens pitchers, with nobody having a multiple-hit game. The Raptors also took advantage of three hit batsmen and three walks.
Five Raptor pitchers combined to allow 12 hits, with Mule' doing most of the damage, going 2-for-6 with two runs and three RBIs.
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Thursday with a 3:30 p.m. makeup game at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham. The game was postponed on Tuesday due to rain.