FORT MYERS, Fla. – Rutgers baseball finished off a weekend sweep over Army West Point with an 11-6 Sunday victory at City of Palms Park. The Scarlet Knights plated 31 runs in the three-game series by hitting .355/.450/.455 as a team.
 
The win improved RU to 8-6 on the season, marking the best start for the program through 14 games since 2009. It was the first sweep since taking all three at USC Upstate last March, as the Scarlet Knights have now won the last eight meetings versus the Black Knights (6-7) dating back to 1992.
 
In another balanced offensive showing, redshirt freshman Dan DiGeorgio led the way by posting two doubles, a single and four RBIs from the leadoff spot. Senior Kyle Walker continued his hot start to the season with two singles and a walk to raise his line to .517/.595/.586, while junior Luke Bowerbank connected for two more hits. He joined junior Tyler McNamara and redshirt sophomore Kevin Blum, who reached three times, with two runs scored in the game. Capping it off, junior Nick Matera slugged a two-run home run to put the game away late.
 
Freshman Collin Kiernan (1-1) earned his first collegiate victory with one hit and no runs allowed in 2.1 innings of relief pitching, striking out three in the outing. He followed graduate student Karl Blum, who made his first start since 2014 and collected three strikeouts of his own. Both redshirt junior Ryan Wares and junior Serafino Brito pitched two frames apiece to close out the triumph.
 
For the third-straight day, RU dented the scoreboard first. DiGeorgio led off the first time through with a double to left field and read a dirt ball to quickly advance to third. That allowed freshman Mike Nyisztor to pick up an RBI with a grounder to second base.
 
Then in the second, the Scarlet Knights added two more to take a 3-0 lead. McNamara continued the inning with a two-out walk and Bowerbank wore a pitch to bring up Kevin Blum, who worked to a full count before walking to load the bases. DiGeorgio took advantage of the situation to rip a two-run single up the middle.
 
Army made it a 3-2 ballgame with a pair of runs in the third before Kiernan escaped the bases-loaded jam. The rookie would then register two strikeouts in a perfect fourth.
 
In the fifth, Rutgers added four insurance runs on three hits. Walker smashed a one-out single, with Welsh being hit and McNamara walking to pack the bases. Bowerbank next delivered an RBI single and Kevin Blum would beat out a fielder's choice to permit another to cross. DiGeorgio stepped in next with two outs and laced a two-run double to make it four runs knocked in on the day..
 
Those runs would be necessary after the Black Knights rallied for four in the top of the seventh to cut it to 7-6 at the stretch.
 
However, the Scarlet Knights responded immediately with four of their own to reestablish the five-run advantage. Bowerbank authored a single and Kevin Blum laid down a bunt to put two aboard. The duo would each advance on a wild pitch and come home when Nyisztor hit a ball down the third base line with two outs. Matera would finish off the outburst with a towering shot to left field that made it 11-6. The catcher now has seven career homers.
 
Starter Sam Messina (1-3) suffered the loss for Army.
 
Rutgers will continue its seven-game spring break trip in Florida with a return to Port Charlotte on Wednesday to face FIU at 3 p.m. It will be the first encounter between the teams since 2014.
 
NOTES
Rutgers now leads the all-time series over Army, 26-23, dating back to 1892 … Nyisztor led the team with seven hits in the series … the Scarlet Knights recorded six two-out RBIs in the game … the pitchers held the Black Knights to 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position … Matera has reached base in all 14 games this season … Walker is on a nine-game hitting streak … the temperature at first pitch was 76 degrees.


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