PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball takes to Bainton Field for the second time this season with a Tuesday non-conference game against Iona. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will broadcast on WRSU 88.7-FM with a stream through BTN Plus via a one-camera feed.
 
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 3-1 week that included a home victory over Wagner and two wins at Old Dominion. Through 10 games, the team is off to its best start since 2011 with five wins. That also includes triumphs over St. Bonaventure and at then-No. 9 Miami.
 
Meeting the Monarchs on the diamond for the 22^nd consecutive season, RU claimed the series win for the first time since 2013 with two comeback victories. On Friday, fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz lifted a game-tying home run in the seventh to help the team score overcome a 4-0 deficit in a 7-6 win. The Scarlet Knights fell behind again on Saturday, this time by three, as senior Milo Freeman delivered a pinch-hit single in the eighth to even the score. Freshman Mike Nyisztor would follow with a two-run single to give head coach Joe Litterio his 100^th win as the scarlet skipper. Freshman Eric Heatter then pitched seven scoreless innings in the Sunday finale, but Rutgers fell one out short of a sweep in a 4-3 setback.
 
Folinusz led the lineup with six hits on the week, while senior Kyle Walker added five to put his batting average at a team-best .455, which is currently No. 41 nationally. He also owns a 1.081 OPS (.536 on-base, .545 slugging). Junior Jawuan Harris paces the team with 10 RBIs and a Big Ten-best seven stolen bases in as many attempts. The outfielder is tied for third in program history with 67 career swipes, a number that ties for being the active career Division I leader.
 
Rutgers has shown improvement in several categories through 10 games. That includes offensive statistics such as runs (+15), on-base percentage (+.039) and walks (+17). The ERA on the mound is lower at this point (-1.55), while the staff has 26 more strikeouts at this point. In addition, errors are down by seven.
 
Sophomore Kyle Gerace will start the game on Tuesday. The right-hander made his first collegiate start last week against Wagner and earned the win with two earned runs permitted over five innings. He last appeared in relief on Saturday and stranded two inherited runners to escape a jam.
 
THE OPPONENT
Iona suffered a three-game sweep at North Carolina Central last weekend, but previously posted wins over Sacred Heart and Norfolk State. Sean Scales leads the Gaels offensively with a .457/.525/.514 slash line through nine games, with Lou Matarazzo totaling eight RBIs. Right-hander Stephen Hansen is projected to make the start on the mound, but Iona is expected to pitch the game by committee. Overall, the team is hitting .231 with an ERA of 7.61.
 
The Scarlet Knights made the trip to New Rochelle last season and came back with a 12-3 win to improve to 28-5 in the all-time series.  Nick Matera had four RBIs on the day with two singles and a double, while Luke Bowerbank added three knocked in. RU has taken the last four meetings.
 
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights embark on a seven-game spring break trip in Florida that starts with a three-game weekend series versus Army in Fort Myers. A Wednesday game at a neutral site in Port Charlotte versus FIU will follow before wrapping up with three at Florida Gulf Coast.
 
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