Cougars Bow Out of NJAC Tournament

Union, N.J. (5/2/09) - Freshman Zachary Brown (Green Village, N.J.) and sophomore Kevin Bond (Cedar Grove, N.J.) each hit two homeruns and drove in all 11 runs to lead Montclair State University to an 11-6 victory over Kean University in an elimination game at the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday morning at Jim Hynes Stadium. 

Brown was 3-of-4 with five RBI and two runs scored, while both of Bond's hits were three-run homers for the second-seeded Red Hawks (25-14). 

For top-seeded Kean (33-9), sophomore left fielder Kyle Walker (Piscataway, N.J.) and rookie third baseman Nick Ramagli (Emerson, N.J.) each had three hits, as the Cougars now wait eight days for the announcement of the NCAA Division III baseball tournament. 

Kean took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Ramagli and junior second baseman Mike Moceri (Yardville, N.J.) had back-to-back one-out doubles and freshman Dylan Laguna (Edison, N.J.) followed with a RBI single to centerfield to take the early lead.

In the top of the third inning, the Red Hawks went ahead on Bond's first homerun of the game, a two-out, three-run homerun to left-centerfield to give Montclair State a 3-2 lead.

The bottom half of the third saw the Cougars regain the lead with a two-out, two-run rally of their own.  Laguna had a two-out single and after advancing to second base on a single by Walker, he would steal third and then score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.  Walker (pictured right), who stole second and advanced to third on the wild pitch, would later score on a single by freshman designated player Vincent Gilstrap (Cranford, N.J.) to push Kean ahead, 4-3.

With two swings of the bat by Brown, Montclair State would tie the game and take the lead for good, as Brown's solo homerun in the top of fourth inning tied the game at 4-4 and his three-run homerun two innings later gave MSU a 7-4 lead. 

After the Cougars cut the lead to 7-5 on a RBI double by Ramagli in the bottom of the sixth, Bond followed with his second three-run homerun of the afternoon and a RBI double by Brown extended the Red Hawk lead to 11-5 in the seventh inning.

The Cougars would get one more run across in the bottom half of the inning on a RBI single by catcher Mike Manganiello (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), as Walker scored after reaching on a single earlier in the inning.

On the mound for Montclair State, junior left-hander Michael Vitale (Bayonne, N.J.) picked up the victory in relief, scattering six hits and two runs in four innings of work to improve to 4-2.  Brown pitched the final two innings for the Red Hawks, allowing no hits and striking out three. 

For Kean, Walker was 3-of-5 with two runs scored, while Ramagli (pictured left) was 3-of-5 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. 

With his first inning double, Moceri, who was named the NJAC Player of the Year earlier in the week, broke the single season doubles record of 21, set by Aaron Richard in 2004, and he now has school records of 76 hits and 22 doubles this season. 

William Paterson 10, Rowan 4

William Paterson University scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and defeat Rowan University, 10-4, as the Pioneers eliminate Rowan advance to the Championship round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball tournament.

Junior second baseman Michael Lugo (Jersey City, N.J.) finished 2-of-4 with three runs scored for the third-seeded Pioneers (24-16), who advance and The College of New Jersey on Sunday afternoon.

For sixth-seeded Rowan (21-15-1), third baseman Brian Woodend (Medford, N.J.) finished 3-of-4 with one RBI and one run scored.

In the decisive eighth inning, William Paterson took the lead on an infield single by shortstop Anthony Dorio (Lyndhurst, N.J.) and a pair of two RBI doubles by third baseman Will Courter (Roseland, N.J.) and right fielder Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) to break the game open for the Pioneers.

The College of New Jersey 10, Montclair State (1) (10 innings)

After nine scoreless innings of action that saw just 10 combined hits, the tenth inning proved to be the complete opposite, as The College of New Jersey exploded for ten runs to advance to the NJAC Championship by defeating Montclair State, 10-1.

In the top of the 10th inning, freshman right fielder Andrew Priece (Bridgewater, N.J.) hit the decisive three-run homerun to break the deadlock.  The Lions would go on to tack on seven more runs in the frame for the win.